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The Intermediate 
Manual 



A Handbook of Methods 
for Intermediate and Voting 
People's Society Workers 



%S BY 

R: p. ANDERSON 

Associate Editor of 
The Christian Endeavor World 




United Society of Christian Endeavor 
Boston and Chicago 



,/)6 



Copyrighted, 191 3, by the 
United Society of Christian Endeavor 



©CI.A343487 

'Ml 



Foreword 

Religious workers desire to make men and 
women oat of the material that they find in 
the community. The task is a difficult one at 
best, but its difficulties are immensely increased 
if workers plunge into their labors badly 
equipped and with only a vague idea of the 
means they are going to employ to attain their 
end. 

There is no excuse for Sunday-school work- 
ers' remaining in ignorance of the work in 
which they are engaged. There are books 
a plenty dealing with the problem from every 
conceivable angle. But it is different with the 
Intermediate Christian Endeavor society. Here 
and there articles have appeared about it. 
Talks have been made about it at conventions. 
But no handbook which might serve superin- 
tendents as a guide has thus far been published. 

The Intermediate society is an instrument 
for the making of manhood and womanhood. 
The aim of the following pages is to give super- 
intendents a working idea of methods to em- 
ploy and of the nature of the young people 
with whom they will have to labor. The suc- 
3 



4: FOREWORD 

cess of the society will always depend more or 
less on the superintendent and the way in 
which he leads. There can be little success 
without some knowledge of adolescent human 
nature and of plans to follow. 

Intermediates can do most of the things that 
are done in the Young People's society. The 
difference between the two societies lies in the 
peculiar mental state of adolescent boys and 
girls. This must be studied and mastered. 
The superintendent will be guide, counsellor, 
and friend, a true leader and not a driver. 
And his success may be measured by the 
strength of the confidence with which he can 
inspire the young people. After all, the deep- 
est secret of leadership is love. 

R. P. Anderson. 



Contents 

I. The Place of the Intermediate Society 

IN THE Church .... 7 

II. The Question of Leadership . . 18 

III. Some Things the Superintendent 

Ought to Know : A. The Mental 
State 27 

IV. Some Things the Superintendent 

Ought to Know : B. The Relig- 
ious State . .... 34 

V. Golden Rules for Superintendents . 42 
VI. Organization ..... 50 

VII. How TO Make Successful Meetings . 72 

VIII. Bible Drills 85 

IX, Committees at Work : The Prayer- 
Meeting Committee ... 99 

X. Committees at Work : The Lookout 

Committee 109 

XI. Committees at Work : The Missionary 

Committee . . . . . 120 

XII. Committees at Work : The Social 

Committee . . . . • '3< 

5 



6 CONTENTS 

XIII. Committees at Work : Flower^ Pas' 

tor's Aid, Information, Sunday-school, 
Junior, Good Literature, Temperance 
and Good Citizenship, Music, Whatso- 
ever, Delegation, Publicity . • ^45 

XIV. Things That May Be Done . .152 
XV. Increasing EpFiaENCY . . ' .169 



The Intermediate Manual 



CHAPTEE I 

THE PLACE OF THE INTEEMEDIATE 
SOCIETY m THE CHUECH 

Theee is a period in the lives of most boys 
and girls when they do not seem to belong any- 
where. 

Yery likely they rebel at the Sunday-school. 
If they have attended the Junior Christian 
Endeavor society, they have outgrown it. 
Many of its methods that once satisfied them, 
and that stiU satisfy younger children, appear 
to them too juvenile. They feel the strange 
impulse of a larger, richer life. 

'No longer at home in the Junior society, they 
are also strangers in the Young People's society. 
In the presence of older people they feel awk- 
ward and timid, burdened with a sense of 
inferiority, however much they try to hide it. 
If they have been active as Junior Endeavorers 
and have graduated into the Young People's 
society, they are nevertheless liable to faU into 
ways of silence. The delightful freedom that 
characterized them as children has gone from 
7 



8 THE INTEKMEDIATE MANUAL 

them, and they are oppressed with self-con- 
sciousness and fear. 

So they frequently drop out of Christian 
Endeavor altogether. 

One of the startling things that should give 
the church pause is the fact that more boys are 
lost to organized Christianity between the ages 
of fourteen and twenty than at any other age. 
It is easy, it seems, to drift from the moorings 
of childhood, and hard to find another an- 
chorage. 

At a ministers' meeting in Philadelphia one 
of the pastors present made the remark that the 
people of the slums are the lost sheep of our 
own household. Another pastor challenged the 
statement, and several ministers were appointed 
to inquire into the situation. 

Among them was Kev. J. Wilbur Chap- 
man, D. D., then pastor of Bethany Presby- 
terian Church. Speaking of his experiences in 
investigating the early religious affiliations of 
dwellers in the city's slums, he said : " One of 
the worst women I have ever seen I met at 
three o'clock in the morning in one of Phila- 
delphia's slums. When I told her that I came 
from Bethany, she said : ' Bethany ! My mother 
carried me there in her arms. I went for years 
to Bethany Sunday-school. I sat in Miss 
Brown's class, half a dozen rows from the front.' 

"She paused as the tears stole down her 



THE INTERMEDIATE SOCIETY 9 

cheeks. Dreams of sweet and innocent child- 
hood flashed across her sin-scarred mind. Then 
she brushed the tears away. 

" ' You let me slip,' she trembled. ^ You let 
me slip ! ' " 

And that is the history of untold thousands. 
The church has somehow, in spite of herself, let 
them slip. 

This outward drift beyond boundaries set in 
childhood is not, however, confined to the 
church. It is present in school life, although 
conditions have partly blinded us to the fact. 
Dr. G. Stanley HaU, writing about the period 
of adolescence, or the transition from boyhood 
into manhood, remarks : 

" This is the age when they (i. e., boys) drop 
out of school in far too large numbers, and 
Stableton thinks that the small percentage of 
male graduates from our high schools is due to 
the inability of the average grammar-grade or 
high-school teacher to deal rightly with boys 
in this critical period of their school life." 

" The weakest work in our schools," writes 
Stableton, "is the handling of boys entering 
the adolescent period of life, and there is no 
greater blessing that can come to a boy at this 
age, when he does not understand himself, than 
a good strong teacher that understands him, has 
faith in him, and will day by day lead him until 
he can walk alone." 



10 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

The luxurious growth of so many organiza- 
tions designed for boys and girls of this transi- 
tion period is proof that the church is now 
aware of the need of some means of stopping 
its loss from the ranks of its young people. 

Rev. A. Z. Conrad, D. D., of Boston, when 
pastor in Worcester, Mass., saw that Juniors, 
automatically pushed into the Young People's 
society when they became too old for the 
Junior society, found that social relations were 
fixed and that the activities of the society were 
already well manned. Dr. Conrad found, 
further, that there were many boys and girls 
in church and Sunday-school who had passed 
the Junior age, yet could not be prevailed upon 
to join the older society. To meet the need of 
this class on the one hand, and of graduating 
Juniors on the other. Dr. Conrad organized an 
Intermediate society among his young people, 
and his example has been followed by many 
pastors in all parts of this country and also in 
foreign lands. 

The Intermediate society is indeed the log- 
ical link between Junior and Young People's 
societies. If the training of children begins in 
a Junior society, it is reasonable on the face of 
it that that training should continue without a 
break, just as we organize our secular schools 
so that one builds upon the foundation laid by 
another. 



THE INTERMEDIATE SOCIETY 11 

No one has the least doubt but some sort of 
organization is needed for young people in the 
transition period. The only question is the kind 
of organization that will accomplish most. 

It seems to us self-evident that to take a 
Junior out of the Junior society and usher him 
into an entirely different kind of organization, 
whether it be a boys' club, Boy Scouts, Knights 
of King Arthur, or any other association, mani- 
festly breaks the sequence of his training. It 
switches him to a new track. He loses impetus. 
The environment is new, and he must adjust 
himself to it. He has lost the things among 
which he has long moved. 

But take a boy from a Junior society, and 
place him in an Intermediate society, and he 
advances along lines with which he is familiar. 
There is no break. He has direct use for the 
very things that he has learned among the 
Juniors. And the same is true of girls. 

If it is objected that by introducing a boy 
into another kind of organization we thereby 
enrich his life and experience, the obvious reply 
is the question. At what cost ? 

There is nothing in any other organization 
that cannot be used along with Christian En- 
deavor. The society has proved itself adaptable 
enough, and the chief features of practically 
every boys' and girls' organization that claims 
recognition may very easily be carried out as 



12 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

a part of Intermediate Christian Endeavor 
work. 

The break in training, the loss of the dis- 
tinctive Christian Endeavor pledge, and not in- 
frequently the loss of the distinctively religious 
element, make the abandonment of Christian 
Endeavor for young people in the adolescent 
stage altogether too dangerous an experiment. 

For we must not forget that Christian En- 
deavor frankly makes the religious appeal. 
The Intermediate age — fourteen to eighteen or 
twenty — is recognized by all psychologists as 
the age of decision. Destinies are then made. 
Young people that are led to take a definite 
stand for Christ during this period usually 
grow into Christian men and women. The 
boys and girls that wander at this age often 
wander long and far. 

What are we doing to hold them in this 
dangerous time ? 

"While we recognize the worth, as accessories, 
of many schemes advanced, like the Boys' Brig- 
ade, Boy Scouts, and so forth, we believe that 
the supreme and vital influence in any young 
life is the influence of religion. And Christian 
Endeavor stands for religion. This is central. 

Christian Endeavor stands for a pledged life, 
a devotional life, and a useful life. 

Through the tumultuous years of adolescence, 
when boys and girls are finding themselves, 



THE INTERMEDIATE SOCIETY 13 

when everything about them is in solution, but 
ready to crystallize, religion is the most potent 
influence to help them to form their ideals 
aright and " come to themselves." Let them 
feel that they are pledged and that Christ owns 
them, let them feel in those eager years that 
they are here to be useful, and lead them into 
the habit of daily prayer and Bible-reading, 
and you have helped them to a position where 
they can stand safely sheltered until the storm 
sweeps past. 

If a church once loosens its grip on its young 
people, if it lets them drift into some outside 
organization, good enough in its way, but one 
that does not keep the boy and girl keyed up to 
definite Christian work, the probability is that 
it will lose them later so far as church-work is 
concerned. Let the Junior Endeavorer become 
homeless, and his enthusiasm will soon cool. 
He wiU get out of practice. If he works for 
the new club or order which for any reason he 
has joined, he will grow to love it, if he sticks 
to it. And that is well. But in a year or two 
try to get him to attend the Christian Endeavor 
society, or to do definite work for the Master ; 
and in too many cases you will find that the 
boy has lost his interest in the religious aspect 
of life. 

This is the point where many beautiful theories 
of the adolescent age fail in practice. Tender 



14 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

solicitation not to spoil the fair flower of natural 
development by the rough hand of direction 
frequently leads the boy or girl to lose taste for 
religious work altogether. 

It is not self-evident that the club or the lodge 
is the stepping-stone to the church. 

The club or lodge may be used to help, but it 
never can be the central influence in the forma- 
tion of Christian character. 

The world is not going to be saved, nor the 
church built up, nor the heathen evangelized, 
by clubs, but by workers that are aflame with 
Pentecostal fire. 

If the period of adolescence is the impression- 
able age, when it is easier than at any other 
time to form religious ideals, why should we 
not seek to gather our young people into an 
organization that provides these ideals so simply, 
directly, and steadily as the Intermediate Chris- 
tian Endeavor society ? 

The worth of the Young People's society is 
proved by its fruits. The Junior society has 
found a place in the church, and is accomplish- 
ing good work. That is to say, experience 
shows that Christian Endeavor fits both children 
and adults. 

Why should it not also fit young men or 
women in their teens ? 

"Wherever Intermediate Christian Endeavor 
has been fairly tried and wisely superintended, 



THE INTERMEDIATE SOCIETY 15 

good results have followed. Indeed, a large 
part of its usefulness depends upon the superin- 
tendent. With a consecrated worker in charge, 
a worker that knows something about young 
people, their difficulties, their aspirations, and 
their ideals, the society will lend itself to high 
purposes, and wiU surely lead young lives to 
Jesus Christ. 

" I rode on the train last night with a boy," 
says Dr. Lapsley A. McAfee. " He plans that 
his manhood shall be one of strength and credit. 
ISTo, that is not quite fair to him. He expects 
such an experience. He is not planning for it, 
but expects it to come to him. 

" He is now nineteen years of age, according 
to the old family Bible at home. But he was 
so strong of vile whiskey last night that he 
could hardly follow my talk, and he has been 
cultivating that habit for five years. Unless he 
became a victim of some rascal in the city last 
night he is probably in the train to-day running 
toward his home in one of the Southern States. 

" Now, he had an idea that he could finish 
up a quart bottle not yet opened, but laid away 
in his suitcase, within a day or two, and then be 
ready for inspection by the time he reaches 
home. I had to tell him how his face showed 
his dissipation, and I urged that he throw the 
bottle out of the car- window that his face might 
have all the chance possible to clear up. 



16 THE INTEKMEDIATE MANUAL 

" Of course, I told him as plainly as I could 
of the One who could clean his life, his will, 
and his whole self. His trouble is that he does 
not realize that he is in the Intermediate ao^e, 
' in the middle between ' childhood and man- 
hood. He does not see that his present stage 
has definite relationship to that which is to 
follow. Poor boy ! He does not yet know 
how much easier it is to slide down hill than 
to climb up." 

But the church knows, and its business is to 
give its young people something that will not 
only prevent them from sliding down, but that 
will help them to climb up. The boy was all 
wrong in his answer to the teacher's question, 
"What little boys go to heaven?" "Dead 
ones," he shouted. 

He was wrong. It is the live ones. The 
dead ones that glide with the current go any- 
where except to heaven. 

Intermediate Christian Endeavor has a special 
place in a city church. The pull away from 
church influences is particularly strong in cities. 
The theatre and the moving-picture show must 
be counteracted by entertainments that Inter- 
mediates are usually only too anxious to get up 
themselves. The aUuring dance must be fought 
with clean socials. The craving for outdoor 
activity must be met by clubs and games and 
weekly hikes. Some churches have pastors 



THE INTERMEDIATE SOCIETY IT 

whose sole duty is to attend to the young life 
of the church and community. The way they 
succeed is sufficient proof that boys and girls 
of Intermediate age are ready to respond to 
the church that understands them and works 
for them. 



CHAPTEE II 
THE QUESTION OF LEADEESHIP 

Young- men or young Tvomen in the early 
twenties may not have so large a fund of 
wisdom or so fine judgment as a man of forty 
or fifty ; but, if they are endowed with average 
common sense, and know that they do not know 
everything, and if they are truly consecrated to 
the Master's service, they will make acceptable 
and efficient Intermediate superintendents. 

They are nearer boyhood or girlhood than 
an older person. They have not forgotten the 
young person's point of view. They do not 
wear the brow of care. The struggles, the 
trials, the disappointments, and the asphations 
of youth are still fi^esh in their minds. They 
know boys and girls, and therefore can manage 
them better than one that has partly forgotten 
what it is to be young. On the other hand, let 
us not forget that many older people retain the 
freshness of youth, and are ideal superintend- 
ents. 

The leaders of the Intermediate society 
should normally come from the Young People's 
society. The Intermediate age, so vital for the 
18 



THE QUESTION OF LEADERSHIP 19 

individual and tlie church, should be a problem 
so close to the heart of all pastors that they 
would gladly undertake to help to train leaders 
for the boys and girls. The Young People's 
society can supply the material. 

The ideal arrangement would be to have in 
every church a group of men and women that 
are interested in Intermediate work, — that is, 
in work with young people in their teens, — 
who will seek leaders for the Intermediates, 
see to their proper training, and stand behind 
them with counsel and in other ways. If this 
is impossible, then the Young People's society 
should step into the gap and fill it in the best 
way it can. 

At present workers with young people are 
trained very much as boys used to be taught 
how to swim. The teacher threw them over- 
board, and told them to strike out. This 
method works in some cases yet, not because it 
has any real worth as a method, but because of 
the grit of the learner. 

Superintendents ought to be taught some of 
the problems that they will be sure to encounter. 
They must know the main history of adolescence 
and its storm and stress, and they must have a 
saving knowledge of the fact that what counts 
most with young people is less what a super- 
intendent says than what he is and does. 
Superintendents that hope to succeed must learn 



20 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

how to approach the boy or girl from every 
angle : from the physical side, through games 
and gymnastic exercises ; from the intellectual 
side, through the young person's insatiable 
thirst for knowledge; from the social side, 
through social opportunities; and from the 
religious side, through the vital influence of 
personal example. 

The wise superintendent will, of course, have 
a definite aim for his ministry. To flounder 
along in a haphazard way means sure disappoint- 
ment and failure. One young man held him- 
self to his ideals by writing the following aims 
in his note-book, frequently refreshing his mem- 
ory by reading them over and examining him- 
self on each one. He sought 

1. To inspire his Intermediates to a definite 
purpose in life. 

2. To kindle high ambitions so as to make 
the most of every life in his care. 

3. To encourage the young people to over- 
come obstacles and to know that by overcoming 
them new strength was gained. 

4. To inspire self-confidence and initiative. 
In numberless ways he brought these lessons 

before the society. He would drive one point 
home by means of a story from a magazine, or 
by referring to a newspaper item. He found 
that truth could be impressed on the mind 
better by giving concrete instances than by 



THE QUESTION OF LEADERSHIP 21 

merely stating abstract principles. He did not 
preach. None of the boys and girls knew that 
he was trying to implant seeds of truth in their 
minds. They only realized that he was inter- 
esting, that he was alive, and that there was 
something doing in the society. But they 
learned the lessons that he taught. 

The first qualification for an Intermediate 
superintendent is that he or she be consecrated. 
The society tends to become like its leader. If 
the superintendent be worldly in thought and 
manner, the seeds of such worldliness will be 
sown in the hearts of the young people. This 
frequently happens before we realize what is 
taking place ; and then we wonder why the 
spirit of consecration, devotion, and reverence 
has departed from the young people of the 
church. 

It is vital to have a genuine practising 
Christian, and not merely a professing Christian, 
at the head of an Intermediate society. The 
life of the superintendent, whether man or 
woman, must be pure and above reproach. 
His thought must be spiritual ; his habits must 
be clean ; his example must be worthy of imita- 
tion. 

His motto should be, " By love serve." He 
must know how the young people look at 
things, and he must sympathize with their point 
of view. When a man feels that his position 



22 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

as superintendent is a task, he is setting forth 
upon the road to failure. Service is oppor- 
tunity. To be charged with the power of 
influencing future members of the church and 
future citizens of the nation is a privilege that 
might make angels envious. If a man has 
vision, he can find sustenance and joy in 
labor. 

Many an earnest superintendent suffers ship- 
wreck on the question of authority. To young 
children authority is the most natural thing in 
the world ; but adolescents strain at the leash 
of parental control, and will more readily 
follow the lead of an outsider. 

This fact gives the superintendent his clew. 
The authority he must strive to gain, however, 
is not that of bit and bridle and rein, but that 
of firm, sweet reasonableness. The appeal to 
reason which enlists the boy's will, which makes 
him the arbiter in his own case, — a principle 
employed successfully in juvenile republics, — is 
the only kind of authority that the Intermediate 
will endure. He respects the man that knows 
and that can. He accepts authority based upon 
demonstrated knowledge, and will follow it to 
the world's end. 

A superintendent, on the other hand, may 
very easily stultify his best efforts by a show of 
suspicion, severity, solemnness, sarcasm, or by 
scolding. If he expects to curb the exuberance 



THE QUESTION OF LEADERSHIP 23 

of youth by threats, he is doomed to ignomini- 
ous defeat. If the young people get the idea 
that a promise on his Hps is not sacred, his 
power over them is gone. 

Intermediates are quick to detect injustice, 
and sometimes the superintendent's temptation 
is strong in this direction. Some young men, 
and, for that part, some young women, are 
exasperating, and more so if they see that the 
superintendent is exasperated. It is easy, 
and sometimes delightful, to bear down upon 
offenders a little more heavily than is right. 
A fatal error, and one that brings swift punish- 
ment in loss of respect ! Malice can never be 
hid. The cruel sneer, the bitter gibe, the 
attempt to hold an offender up to ridicule, are 
sure to swing back with deadly force upon the 
superintendent that indulges in such dangerous 
pleasantries. 

The Intermediate age is the age of chivaby, 
of heroism, of generosity ; the period when a 
young man's sympathy is easily enlisted for the 
under dog. It does not matter that the under 
dog is a cur that has been misbehaving and that 
is getting exactly what it deserves. Boys jump 
to conclusions. The obvious fact is that the 
under dog is yowling, and they want to caU the 
victor off. 

Discipline can be maintained in many societies 
by organizing them on the principle of a juve- 



24 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

nile republic, letting the members themselves, 
through an organized court of discipline, be 
both judge and jury. 

Indeed, the superintendent should follow the 
advice of the old fisherman who gave a receipt 
for success in angling. He had three rules. 
The first was, " Keep out of sight." The second 
was, "Keep farther out of sight." And the 
third ran, " Keep still farther out of sight." 

The question is sometimes asked whether a 
superintendent should be a man or a woman. 

We must remember that the aim of an Inter- 
mediate superintendent is not merely to be a 
leader of a meeting or a director of work, but 
an adviser of souls. He is in closer touch with 
young people than the busy pastor can hope to 
be. He is more likely to be made a confidant 
than even the pastor. 

But there are difficulties that come up in a 
young girl's experience that she cannot make 
known to a male superintendent ; and there are 
troubles that strike a boy that he will not 
confide to a woman. It is possible, of course, 
that there are other organizations in the church 
that can supply guidance to both boys and girls, 
but in most churches a superintendent is likely 
to be closer to the young people than other 
workers. 

It seems that we cannot weU dispense with 
the virile strength that comes from the presence 



THE QUESTION OF LEADERSHIP 25 

of a man in the society ; nor, on the other hand, 
can we do without the sweetness and tact that 
woman brings to her tasks. The ideal society 
will probably have two superintendents, a man 
and a woman, each doing work that will natu- 
rally fall among those of his or her own sex. 
The two leaders will plan together and share the 
responsibility. They are there to superintend, 
not to execute. They will both keep themselves 
in the background, giving the Intermediates 
right of way. 

Where there are a number of young people of 
Intermediate age, and it is impossible to find a 
male superintendent, a capable woman should 
take the lead. 

The superintendent's path is not strewn with 
roses. He will collide with difficulties, and 
there will be occasions when he will need all 
his tact to get around obstacles or over slippery 
places. But it is worth while. It means the 
saving of souls and the saving of young lives. 

Some time ago, when a statue of George 
Peabody, the philanthropist, was unveiled in 
London, the sculptor, Mr. Story, was called 
upon to make a speech. He touched the statue 
with his hand twice, and twice he repeated the 
words : " This is my speech ! This is my 
speech ! " 

The superintendent's supreme happiness is, 
in after-years, to look upon his boys or his girls 



26 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

and say with Paul, " Ye are my joy and my 
crown of rejoicing." 

"We have been speaking as if the superin- 
tendent were nearly always a man. As a 
matter of fact more superintendents are women. 
The same rules apply, however, to both sexes 
in their work with young people. 



CHAPTER III 

SOME THINGS THE SUPEEINTENDENT 
OUGHT TO KNOW 

A. The Mental State 

In the years of adolescence boys and girls 
differ somewhat in their mental and spiritual 
development, but both sexes are in the melting- 
pot. In a short time something will emerge 
from that crucible that will solidify into habit 
of thought and action. The superintendent, if 
he or she is to attain to efficiency, must know 
what is taking place in the minds of young 
persons, and must provide a mould in which to 
shape the character. 

The physical changes that occur in this period 
often provide a clew to a correct diagnosis 
of mental disturbances, and will suggest the 
remedy. A reliable book on adolescence should 
be procured and studied. " The Psychology of 
Religion," by E. D. Starbuck, is an excellent 
guide. It is sold by the United Society of 
Christian Endeavor, Tremont Temple, Boston, 
Mass., at $1.50, postage 12 cents extra. 

One of the marked results of the physical 
change referred to is seen in a new relation of 
27 



28 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

the sexes. Broadly speaking, a young child is 
sexless in its relations with others. As the 
stirrings of sex begin to make themselves felt, 
the youth suddenly realizes that he is attracted 
in a new, strange manner to the opposite sex, 
and the age of romance opens wide its doors. 

We speak of the boy, but the same things 
are true of girls. 

They dream dreams in solitude. "Wonderful 
aspirations move within the soul. The world 
is bathed in glory reflected from their hopes, 
and at the same time they know the happy 
pangs of unsatisfied longing. 

As for the boy, sometimes a thirst for fame 
consumes him. He is deeply stirred by glori- 
ous deeds of old-time chivalry or of modem 
achievement. He longs for action, adventure, 
romance. Perhaps he desires leadership, the 
joy of initiating action. He feels that the time 
for play is past, and he wants to undertake 
worthy enterprises that will tax and test his 
strength. He pictures to himself the delight 
of receiving the plaudits of friends for work 
well done. He wants the good wiU of all the 
world. 

In both boys and girls the sense of self arises. 
As children they moved around totally uncon- 
scious of themselves, with the sweet simplicity 
and naturalness of wild creatures of the woods. 
But, as self -consciousness develops, naturalness 



THE MENTAL STATE 29 

is inhibited. They become awkward. They 
cannot walk across a room if others are watch- 
ing them. Their feet are in the way, and 
refuse the commands of the brain. All actions 
are forced, because consciously directed; and 
are liable to become artificial. 

Youth becomes aware, too, of a world around 
it. Girls begin earlier than boys to attend to 
matters of dress. Pride awakens. In the boy 
it is less the love of pretty things that moves 
him than the feeling that people are watching 
him and criticising him. Unless he is careful 
he may contract bad habits while in this mental 
state, habits that will last a lifetime. He may, 
for example, dress loudly, drift into dandyism, 
put on airs, develop conceit, become affected in 
deportment. He may have a bad attack, at- 
tended by all these symptoms, and more, all at 
once; or he may develop the symptoms one 
by one, and in var3dng combinations. 

A good many morbid conditions may attend 
the period of adolescence. Boys are liable to 
have severe attacks of doubt, — although girls 
are by no means exempt, — while girls are liable 
to brood and be tortured with oversensitive- 
ness. Fear, too, is one of the most common 
accompaniments of youth. It manifests itself 
in all degrees, from timidity and modesty to 
that appalling sense of inferiority that makes a 
boy shun aU company. Fear in some form is 



30 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

at the bottom of the habit of blushing in the 
presence of strangers. The very worst thing 
one can do is to ridicule the victim of this 
obsession. The habit may be overcome by 
helping the boy or girl to realize that there is 
no real reason for blushing or for sensitiveness, 
that the trouble lies in having too vivid an im- 
agination, and that fear-thought can be put 
aside and conquered. 

When fear or timidity drives young people 
into solitude and silence, they must be drawn 
bacJi by gentleness and tact. " The tendency 
to solitude at adolescence indicates no fulness, 
but want." It is not a mark of greatness. It 
is the sign of a troubled soul. 

It is well to remember that every impression 
made on the mind in these years is deep and 
lasting. This is especially true of impressions 
that wound. Derision is felt with a keenness 
that is mercifully dulled in older people. They 
"don't care." But the youth cares intensely. 
Censure cuts like a whip. Failure to make 
good in any direction depresses with crushing 
force. A dog that gets licked once has not 
much taste for another scrap. When a boy or 
girl goes down to failure, we need not rub 
salt into the wound. 

The superintendent should understand not 
only the morbid states of adolescence, but also 
the budding powers of youth; and he should 



THE MENTAL STATE 31 

seek to direct them. A great deal of youth- 
ful crime is simply misdirected energy. Jane 
Addams shows that one of the strongest in- 
stincts of the boy is to perform daring feats, 
and that these feats often bring him into vio- 
lent collision with the law. The energy that 
prompts such feats may be turned into safe 
channels. The gymnasium, the baseball-field, 
and the hike provide fine outlets. The desire 
for combat, the wish to pit his powers against 
others, may be satisfied in debate. The lust 
for glory and distinction may be appeased by 
giving the youth a chance to see what he can 
accomplish in elocution and oratory. The nat- 
ural love of the spectacular may be gratified by 
letting Intermediates get up plays, pageants, 
and socials ; and the innate passion for chivahy 
and honor may be fed by adopting some of the 
best features of such organizations as the Boy 
Scouts. 

At no age are pity and sympathy so easily 
aroused as during this period. The normal 
youth hates oppression, and desires fair play 
with all his soul. Here is a foundation for 
virtues that make good citizens. Love of fair 
play can be developed into honesty and honor, 
and pity and sympathy can be transformed into 
charity, benevolence, kindness, and good will. 

Again, the years of adolescence mark the 
period when a larger life dawns upon the mind, 



32 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

when young people learn that they must live 
along with others as part of a great world. 
They choose their companions. They feel that 
they are not sufficient unto themselves, and 
they crave the stimulating influence of friends, 
if they are normal in their growth. 

Adolescence means for youth a complete 
change of mental base. A child's thought is 
entirely different from the thought of a young 
person in his teens. " When I was a child, I 
thought as a child . . . but, when I be- 
came a man, I put away childish things." The 
Intermediate years mark the transition. 

It is sad to see well-meaning parents handle 
their sons and daughters that have reached the 
age of adolescence as if they were children. 
How often we hear the wail, " Johnny has be- 
come unmanageable," when the fact is that the 
parents have forgotten that Johnny is no longer 
a child. He is budding into manhood ; and, 
like a growing plant, he should be helped to 
grow according to his nature, and not according 
to the nature of either father or mother. 

Instead of tightening the reins they should 
be loosened. The child is guided by command, 
but the young man and the young woman will 
not take orders in the conduct of life. They 
wish to be guided from within, from reason 
and conscience. When Frances Willard reached 
her eighteenth birthday, she resolved that she 



THE MENTAL STATE 33 

should conduct her life, not according to the 
desire of her parents, but according to her own 
conscience. Her father had prohibited her 
from reading novels ; so on this day she took 
Scott's " Ivanhoe " to the porch, and sat doAYn 
to read it. Yery soon her father came along. 
" What is that you are reading ? " " Ivanhoe." 
" But have I not forbidden you to read novels ? " 
" Yes, but, father, you are forgetting what day 
this is." **' What has the day got to do with 
the deed ? " "I am eighteen to-day, and of 
age. From to-day on, I need not obey any 
laws but the law of God and my conscience. I 
believe that ' Ivanhoe ' is a good book to read, 
and I am reading it." For a moment the as- 
tonished father did not know what to do. 
Then common sense prevailed. He called his 
daughter's statement a declaration of independ- 
ence, and said that together they would try to 
keep the laws of God. 

The superintendent can be companion, coun- 
sellor, and friend, and can do much to educate 
reason and conscience. One may suggest, guide, 
talk over problems, relate experiences ; but dic- 
tate, never. 



CHAPTEE lY 

SOME THINGS THE SUPEEINTENDENT 
OUGHT TO KNOW 

B, The Religious State 

The attitude of a young person in his teens 
toward religion is very different from that of a 
child. 

The most marked characteristic of a child's 
religion is credulity. The Junior believes what 
is told him, literally and without hesitation. 
His faith is absolute, unless he has " found out " 
his elders or caught them in prevarication ; and 
even then the tendency is for him to trust the 
word of older people in matters of religion. 

But it is different with the adolescent. The 
simple, unreasoning faith of childhood gives 
place to a desire to examine, reason, understand. 
Faith tends to become personal. The young 
man wants to see with his own eyes. The 
ego outgrows traditional beliefs, and claims its 
right to get into first-hand contact with reality. 

The shifting of base from authority to per- 
sonal responsibility is the cause of many of the 
peculiar phenomena of adolescence. The Junior 
believes, imitates, obeys — although there are 
exceptions to this general rule. He lives near 
34 



THE RELIGIOUS STATE 35 

to God and the spiritual world. To him God 
is real, no matter how conceived ; and conse- 
quently prayer is easy and natural. Of course, 
if a child's training has been wrong, the little 
one may grow up with a great fear of God ; 
but it can be just as easily trained to love Him. 

The longer a child can remain in this state of 
simple, balanced faith, the better will it be for 
it. For childhood is the period of assimilation. 
Example has a profound and lasting influence. 
The Junior drinks in the best things that come 
to him, and they enter into his character. 

This, too, is the period of love. Love is the 
dominating feeling of the child mind. If that 
basic love be appealed to by more love and 
kindness, there will be a generous response. 
This is the reason why kindness is a more po- 
tent factor in the education of a boy than is 
punishment ; kindness makes a bid for love ; 
punishment is an appeal to fear. If a Junior 
fails to manifest due reverence and awe, — a 
matter about which many good people are ex- 
ercised, — it is well to remember that the reason 
probably is that the Junior's mind is void of 
fear. It is best not to attempt to awaken awe 
in such a mind. The love appeal, which is ab- 
solutely fearless, is by far the more powerful. 
You can get more out of a man that loves God 
than you can get out of one whose motive is 
fear. 



36 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

Starbuck points out, what we. must all have 
noticed, " that religion is distinctively external 
to a child rather than something that possesses 
inner significance." One of his correspondents 
remarks : " I was counselled to love and fear 
God, and to obey every word in the Holy 
Scriptures. This God was part of my child- 
hood, always present, though never near. He 
never entered into my life, but remained out- 
side, and kept His eye upon it." 

Adolescence brings with it a great awaken- 
ing and often a realization of God. The hazy 
ideas of childhood clarify. Sometimes the awak- 
ening is accompanied by an emotional crisis, an 
explosion that starts the soul in a new direc- 
tion. This is conversion. 

Try to conceive adolescence as a growth into 
manhood or womanhood. When we read 
about the storm and stress of this period, we 
must beware lest we think that such disturb- 
ances are absolutely indispensable. They are 
no more necessary than are growing-pains for a 
growing boy. All growth should be painless, 
and would be if we did not violate some law or 
other. The young life should pass from child- 
hood to manhood or to womanhood without 
friction and distress. Therefore it is well to 
seek to make the process as smooth and painless 
as possible. Trouble often comes, however, 
from the soul's finding difficulty in adapting 



THE KELIGIOUS STATE 37 

itself to its new environment. We perform a 
great service if we can keep the young person 
steady during the process of adaptation. 

We have said that there is a close relation 
between the physical and the mental states. It 
follows that the more normal and healthy the 
body is, the easier will be mental, moral, and 
spiritual adjustments. Hence we should give 
attention to exercise, outdoor games, fresh air, 
good circulation of the blood, free respiration, 
and whatever makes large calls upon physical 
energy. 

There are two outstanding facts in the life 
of a young man which every Intermediate 
superintendent should bear in mind : first, he 
exhibits an increased activity ; and second, he 
suffers from a reaction. 

With the growth of the body a fund of 
nervous energy seems to be released, resulting 
in both physical and mental activity. In some 
cases this leads to adventures with the gang. 
Wherever it is present, and it is sure to be pres- 
ent in an Intermediate society, the superintend- 
ent should seek wisely to direct it by suggesting 
channels through which it may flow. Yery 
often the Intermediates will furnish him with 
clews for suggestions, for it is always best to 
work along with the normal desires of young 
people. 

Periods of enlargement and activity are sure 



38 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

to be foUowed by corresponding periods of in- 
difference. The superintendent that has no 
knowledge of what is taking place easily be- 
comes discouraged, and thinks that his work is 
in vain if his workers appear to lose interest. 
He presses the young man, it may be, to re- 
newed activity ; possibly he accuses him of cal- 
lousness ; and, if he is not careful, he may end 
in driving him away. 

The wise course is to give line. The cause of 
the indifference is simply exhaustion, a condi- 
tion of which the subject himself is serenely un- 
aware and at which, if it were suggested to 
him, he would laugh scornfully. If he is wisely 
let alone, — of course he must not be lost sight 
of, — the life-forces will return and demand ex- 
pression. Therefore, when an Intermediate 
grows cold, simply keep in touch to see that he 
does not drift into evil ; but do not press him to 
work. He will want work when he is ready. 

This nervous exhaustion, which claims a 
period of rest, explains the brooding depression, 
the morbid introspection, and the burdening 
sense of inferiority that torture the adolescent. 
It also supplies the key to those fits of anger 
and irritation, hatef ulness, self-will, and defiance 
that appear so serious in the eyes of onlookers. 

Sympathetic understanding of this state of 
soul will suggest to superintendents both what 
to do and what not to do. For instance, when 



THE RELIGIOUS STATE 39 

a soul is in the depths already, crushed and 
oppressed, it is fatal to seek to impress upon it 
a sense of unworthiness and sin, and of the hor- 
rors of punishment. It may even do harm to 
place too much emphasis upon ideals. What is 
needed is that we stimulate the weak and dis- 
trustful, tide over the period of rest, and help 
to arouse the mind, in due time, to renewed effort. 

Psychologists speak of a period of alienation 
when the young person is oppressed by a feeling 
of discord with his environment, and holds him- 
self aloof. The root reason for this may be the 
reaction of which we have been speaking, or 
alienation may be caused by the soul's honest 
effort to think out and solve its own problems. 
The young man and woman are growing more 
and more independent. Freedom is their life. 
They are analyzing, reasoning, rejecting con- 
vention and tradition, trying to get a standpoint 
of their own, eager to attain the truth. 

In the earlier stages of adolescence the mind 
is somewhat like a ship driven hither and thither 
by conflicting winds ; but in the later period the 
captain is on board trying to steer aright. 

The boy or girl that finds the world of child- 
hood shattered by contact with modern science 
should not be looked upon with horror as a 
monster, but with deepest sympathy. It is 
not necessary, of course, that doubts come. A 
new world may be organized without an earth- 



40 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

quake throwing the old one into chaos. But, if 
doubts arrive, it is necessary that we understand 
why they come and how to treat them. It is 
common enough nowadays to find young people 
that doubt the inspiration of the Bible, the 
divinity of Christ, the miracles of the Old and 
New Testaments, the story of the creation, and 
so forth ; and here and there one may even find 
one that questions the very existence of God. 

If we meet the doubter with expressions of 
dismay, we establish him in his unbelief. Doubt 
should be welcomed as a sign of health. Its 
function is to make us continually revise our 
knowledge and thus discover new truths. If we 
show that we are glad that a young man has 
begun to doubt, because this evidences thought, 
we disarm him at the start. Then we can talk 
matters over with him, draw him out, and sug- 
gest points of view of which, perhaps, he has 
never dreamed. 

Since adolescence is a period of activity a 
young person's religion must be made a relig- 
ion of doing, and doing things that are worth 
while. Intermediates should not be burdened 
with a decalogue of " don'ts." The pledge, " I 
will strive to do," expresses their natural feel- 
ings. 

No two boys or girls are alike. Storm and 
stress in the experience of different individuals 
wiU vary very materially. "We need not look 



THE KELIGIOUS STATE 41 

for all the phenomena of adolescence in one life. 
!N"o young man could carry such a burden. We 
must study each case by itself ; we must win 
the confidence of the Intermediates ; and we 
shall find, before we know it, that we are help- 
ing beyond our fondest hopes. The superintend- 
ent who is comrade and friend will sm-ely win 
both respect and lasting love. 



CHAPTEE y 
GOLDEN EULES FOE SUPEEINTENDENTS 

It may not be amiss to gather together a few 
rules based on experience that may help workers 
to thread the labyrinth of Intermediate work. 

1, Be constructive. In this period of adjust- 
ment boys and girls are building a new world. 
Do not demolish their house, even if it be a 
house of cards, by criticism of any kind. When 
it faUs, assist them to erect another and a 
better. 

^. Study the physical nature of the hoys and 
girls. The physical state is intimately connected 
with the mental state. Clean bodily habits are 
necessary if we are to have clean souls. Lay 
the foundation of sound living by imparting 
instruction regarding the evils of alcohol and 
tobacco, the necessity of plenty of sound sleep, 
hygiene, and so on. Young people want to 
know about their bodies. Tell them. 

3. Study the young jpeojple^s way ofthinMng. 
How many of us can tell how our friends make 
decisions, whether they move by impulse or by 
reason, and, if by reason, what kind of reason ? 
Here is a boy or a girl that drifts when he or she 
42 



GOLDEN RULES 43 

is forced to choose. He or she obeys the pull 
of the tide. Here is one that follows his com- 
panions. One is reckless ; another is determined ; 
yet another weighs the matter from the moral 
point of view. There is a habit of decision, 
formed in youth. Watch the young person's 
habit forming, and guide it. That is the way 
to make character. 

4-. Train the will to do right. There are 
people whose decisions are flabby, and topple 
over when they are touched by argument. 
Teach the boy or girl to will to do right, and 
then, having made the decision, to stick to it 
though the heavens fall. Illustrations a plenty 
will be found in business life. Many a young 
man is ruined because he acquiesces in evil in his 
business relations. He sees evil done so often 
that he grows accustomed to it ; his conscience 
becomes drugged ; and before he knows it 
he is guilty of the same practices that he 
formerly condemned. 

5. Study young folks' fads. A superintend- 
ent that brought a small collection of butterflies 
to the meeting one evening for an object-talk 
was astonished to see the most unruly boy in 
the society absorbed in the pretty insects. The 
superintendent promptly invited the boy to his 
home, and a real friendship was struck, which 
lasted through delightful years. Enter intelli- 
gently into a boy's or a girl's fads. If you do 



44: THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

not understand what they are interested in, 
they will teach you with pleasure. 

6. Co-ojperate with the parents. The home 
often shirks its duty. Visit the parents when 
the boy or girl is not present, and secure their 
co-operation in helping the young people. The 
home is too important an ally to be neglected. 

7. Learn^ if you c(jm^ where and how the hoys 
cmd girls sjpend their spare time. That is a good 
key to character. The seeds of idleness and 
dissolution are often sown in boyhood at the 
street corner. Plan, if need be, for the young 
person's spare time. Be a Big Brother or a Big 
Sister. 

8. Respect individuality. Young people are 
often repressed at home. A deadly error ! The 
boy is not a slave. He is not even a soldier 
that must accept in silence the command of a 
superior. Every boy or girl is an individual 
standing in direct relation to God and responsi- 
ble to Him. Trust the young people as free 
men and women. Make them partners with 
you in whatever you undertake. Be co-workers 
with them, not their taskmasters. 

9. Encourage the club spirit. The strength 
of this spirit is seen in the luxurious growth of 
the " frat." What is the use of kicking against 
the pricks of this social instinct ? We can con- 
trol it, but never eradicate it. 

10. Go in for tea/rti-worh. Childhood is 



GOLDEN EULES 45 

selfish ; everything centres around the individ- 
ual. In adolescence the narrow walls of self 
break down ; the world is enlarged. The boy 
sees that he must work with others. He finds 
it delightful, too. Help the boy to play the 
game in a team, thinking not of himself, but of 
the team. Religious work should also be done 
in teams wherever possible. Lone tasks are 
always lonesome. Eemember that all this is 
equally true of girls. 

11. Boom athletics. If you cannot have an 
athletic club in the society, find out what clubs 
the members belong to, and visit them. Most 
societies can get up teams, however, and play 
intersociety matches. 

12. Emj^hasize the practical value of re- 
ligion. Show that religion is an asset in life. 
No employer wants an irreligious, unprincipled 
employee. Eeligion means character, worth, 
respect in the community. 

13. MaTce the church lovable. The Inter- 
mediate should feel that the church is his home. 
How to produce this feeling is another matter ; 
but it has been done, and can be done again. 

H. Magnify the ministry. There is a de- 
cline, we are told, in the number of students 
for the ministry. Young men take to engineer- 
ing, law, medicine, everything but theology. 
Why? Is it because these professions pay 
more? Possibly this may influence some 



46 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

people in their choice, but not all. One trouble 
is that young people are not given a vision of 
the opportunity to make their lives count in 
really great and abiding vs^ork as ministers of 
Jesus Christ. Think of Dr. GrenfeU. If he 
had become a successful doctor in a thriving 
city, could his vrork compare with the work he 
is doing in Labrador ? 

15. Make religion positive. Let it be the 
joyous doing of joyous tasks, and not the nega- 
tive refraining from things that one would like 
to do if one dared. 

16. Relate religion to life, to the boy's life or 
the girl's life. " Did you ever hear the like ? " 
cried an old deacon concerning a minister who 
was striking at particular sins. " Who ever heard 
of religion having to do with private conduct ? " 
Through concrete cases show how religion grips 
into home life, business life, aU life. As the 
cross on the spires of ancient cathedrals towered 
above the market-place where men bought and 
sold, so let the young people feel that all life is 
consecrated by the presence of the living Christ. 

17. Encourage hero-worship. Every boy is 
a potential hero. He loves heroes because he 
feels that he is one himself — in his dreams. 
Give biography a chief place in the society. 

18. Develop unselfishness. Remember that 
this is at bottom an unselfish age. Young 
people are chivalrous, and chivalry should be 



GOLDEN RULES 47 

made one of their ideals. Li a few years the 
chance for these lessons will be past. Let each 
Intermediate follow the simple rule of trying 
to do one kind act each day. 

19. Plan Bible-study. This is a hard task, 
and calls for wisdom. Perhaps as good a plan 
as any is to follow a course of Bible-study under 
a competent leader. If the Sunday-school is 
giving such a course, let the Intermediates 
follow it, giving them points for efficiency. 

W. Encourage socials. In spite of the at- 
tempt to keep the sexes apart they gravitate 
together. It is human nature. Calf love is 
frequently caused by a boy's not being brought 
into contact under proper conditions with girls 
of his own age. Socials afford opportunity for 
female companionship, and this is the right of 
every healthy boy. 

21. Work with the pastor. He should be 
the counsellor of the Intermediate society. 
Suggestions should be sought from him, and 
the society should stand ready to do the tasks 
that he thinks ought to be done. The Inter- 
mediates should all be pastor's aids. 

22. Set up hard taslcs. The heroic age 
demands them. If the work is easy or insignif- 
icant, it will not appeal to boys and girls that 
are testing their strength. The tasks should 
not be impossible of accomplishment, but neither 
should they be too sKght. 



48 THE INTEEMEDIATE MANUAL 

23, Let the society he self-governing. Make 
it a miniature republic. Let the Intermediates 
appoint a court for discipline. Thej should 
make their own laws and enforce them. This 
is fine training in citizenship and the use of 
liberty. 

2J^. Coach the leader of the meeting. The 
Intermediate is in training ; therefore he needs 
help. Assist him to plan his programme ; make 
suggestions to him, and help him to carry them 
out. 

25. Encourage the timid in the meeting, A 
nod of the head or a kindly smile reassures a 
beginner who is timid and faltering. The ap- 
proval of the superintendent means much. 
Never lose an opportunity to speak a word of 
encouragement to one that has made an effort 
to take part in a meeting, no matter how slight 
the part may have been. 

26. Have a prayer circle in a separate room 
f/ve minutes hefore the meeting. Let the leader, 

the president of the society, and a few of the 
most earnest workers be present, and as many 
as care to come. 

27. Have a surprise in every meeting. Take 
pains to plan for this, and always be on the 
lookout for new ideas. 

28. Find out what looks the Intermediates 
read, am.d then study them. Talk about these 
books in the meeting, and suggest others. 



GOLDEN KULES 49 

^9. Keep a note-'book for the double purpose 
of catching ideas and plans as they come to you, 
and for writing down any information that may 
come to you from any of the members. 

SO. Plan husiness meetings with the pres- 
ident and committee meetings with the chair- 
men of committees. 



CHAPTEE YI 
OEGANIZATION 

1. Where to Organize 

The ideal place to organize an Intermediate 
society is a church where there are a goodly 
number of young people between the ages of 
thirteen and eighteen, the ideal Intermediate 
age. Such churches are not so few as one 
would think. In some instances a canvass of 
the situation in churches where there does not 
seem to be abundant youth will show that there 
is a suificient number of boys and girls too old 
for the Junior society and rather young for the 
Young People's society, that will make splendid 
material for Intermediate work. 

If, however, there are no more than half a 
dozen available, it is worth while to organize, 
partly for the sake of the Intermediates them- 
selves, and partly because, if they are rightly 
directed, they will bring in new members from 
their acquaintance. 

One happy superintendent says: "I began 
work with the leading members in the church 
against me. My first meeting was held with 
only four girls present. I talked to them about 
their part in Christian work, and we separated 
50 



OKGANIZATION 51 

with a promise that we would organize an In- 
termediate society the next Smiday if each one 
would bring some one else. We had seven 
present at the next meeting, and we organized. 
We have now twenty-seven active members." 

Mr. Paul Brown, field secretary of the Cali- 
fornia Christian Endeavor union, says that the 
main difference between a Young People's so- 
ciety and an Intermediate society is that the 
Intermediates are usually more ready to under- 
take new work and to put more steam into it. 
If half a dozen young people feel that the so- 
ciety really belongs to them and is not merely 
run for them, they will throw themselves into 
its plans with a devotion and an enthusiasm 
that are too often lacking in the older society. 
One of the strangest objections to the Inter- 
mediate society is a very practical one, namely, 
that it is likely to become so interesting that it 
will throw the Young People's society into the 
shade. 

To avoid misunderstanding, conflict, and 
difficulty, the constitution of the Intermediate 
society should provide for the graduation of 
Intermediates into the Young People's society 
at a certain age, eighteen or twenty. This rule 
should be rigidly adhered to. 

Again, when it is proposed to organize an 
Intermediate society, we are sometimes told 
that the church is already overorganized. 



62 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

Sometimes, indeed, this is true. Still, it is 
possible for a church to take on such a deck- 
load that it becomes top-heavy, while the real 
cargo lies on the wharf. There are societies 
that the church cannot afford to do without. 
If a church had all the organizations under the 
sky and yet had no prayer-meeting, it would, 
indeed, be overorganized, but it would not be 
properly organized. The' only thing to do in 
such circumstances is to make room for the 
indispensable organization. The fundamental 
question is not of overorganization, but of the 
right kind of organization. 

Can a church afford to do without a prayer- 
meeting for boys and girls who are just enter- 
ing manhood and womanhood ? Can it afford 
to refuse them, or fail to provide for them, an 
opportunity for training in giving testimony, 
for public prayer, for expressing their religious 
life ? These things appear vital. The church 
that neglects them in training its young people 
will reap a harvest of barrenness in after-years. 
And nothing can take the place of Christian 
Endeavor in providing for this kind of practical 
Christian work. Neither organized Bible class. 
Knights of King Arthur, Boy Scouts, nor any 
other organization attempts the kind of work 
that Christian Endeavor is doing all the time. 

If some churches get along without an Inter- 
mediate society, why, our fathers got along, 



ORGANIZATION 53 

too, without electricity, the telephone, the tele- 
graph, and the facilities of modern travel. 

We know the advantage of grading classes 
in secular schools. We even grade the schools 
themselves. If Intermediate grades are neces- 
sary, if trade-schools seem to supply a lack, if 
institutes, and schools of technology, and uni- 
versities fulfil a definite purpose, we do not 
speak of getting along without them or of over- 
organizing. We simply make room for them. 
The efficiency of the individual is the important 
matter, and we must make room for that which 
vitally affects Christian training. 

^. How to Organize 

Consult the pastor first of all, and secure his 
hearty consent and promise of co-operation. 

Of course the best superintendent available 
must be found before any public steps are taken. 
The superintendent and perhaps one or two 
others interested should give personal invita- 
tions to a few of the most promising young 
people of Intermediate age who are not mem- 
bers of the Christian Endeavor society to meet, 
preferably, in the home of one of those that give 
the invitation. 

To this small group the subject of Intermedi- 
ate work should be presented. One might out- 
line a brief talk in this way : 

1. The " between " age, when boys and girls 



54 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

belong neither to the Junior nor the Young 
People's society. They should have a society 
of their own. 

2. The difference between an Intermediate 
and a Junior society. The Intermediates have 
more advanced tasks. Draw an analogy be- 
tween Christian Endeavor with its graded so- 
cieties and the public-school system with its 
graded schools. 

3. The difference between the Intermediate 
and the Young People's society, a. The age 
difference. The Intermediate age is from 
thirteen (rarely lower) to eighteen or twenty. 
h. The difference in having a superintendent. 
Intermediates are not supposed to know every- 
thing about Christian Endeavor. The superin- 
tendent is a trainer, a coach. Draw the analogy 
between the work of the superintendent and that 
of a coach. 

4. The kind of work Intermediates can do. 

5. The field in the church, the chances for 
getting new members. 

6. A description of the Intermediate pledge. 

7. Advantages of having a society. 

The society may be organized at this first 
meeting by having those present sign the pledge 
and appoint officers. Chairmen of committees 
may be appointed later. A committee should 
also be appointed to prepare a constitution in 
consultation with the superintendent. 



OKGANIZATION 55 

The superintendent will naturally explain to 
each officer and committee-chairman the duties 
of his office. This can be most effectively done 
in a private conversation. 

In preparing for this initial meeting the pastor 
may announce it from the pulpit, and the Sun- 
day-school superintendent will speak of it in the 
Sunday-school. 

After business has been disposed of have a 
social hour as a foretaste of the good things 
that the Intermediates may expect in the 
society. 

3. The Pledge 
Several forms of the pledge for Intermediates 
are here given, l^one of them are binding. 
Experience, however, has shown that those 
societies prosper best that keep a high standard 
of Christian living and duty before the young 
people in the pledge. For most societies the 
active member's pledge will be found to meet 
all requirements. 

FoEM 1. — Active Member's Pledge 

Trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ for strength, 
I promise Him that I will strive to do whatever 
He would like to have me do ; that I will pray to 
Him and read the Bible every day ; and that, 
just so far as I know how, throughout my whole 
life, I will endeavor to lead a Christian life. As 
an active member, I promise to be true to all my 
duties, to be present at, and take some part, aside 



66 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

from singing, in every meeting, unless hindered 
by some reason which I can conscientiously give 
to my Lord and Master, Jesus Christ. If obliged 
to be absent from the monthly consecration-meet- 
ing, I will, if possible, send an excuse for absence 
to the society. 

Signed 

Eegular Intermediate Pledge 

Trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ for strength, 
I promise Him that I will strive to do whatever 
He would like to have me do ; that I will make 
it the rule of my life to pray and to read the Bible 
every day ; that I will attend the services of my 
own church unless prevented by some reason 
which I can conscientiously give to my Saviour ; 
and that just so far as I know how, throughout 
my whole life, I will endeavor to lead a Christian 
life. 

As an active member, I promise to be true to 
all my duties, to be present at and to take 
some part, aside from singing, in every Christian 
Endeavor prayer-meeting, unless hindered by 
some reason which I can conscientiously give to 
my Lord and Master. If obliged to be absent 
from the monthly consecration-meeting of the 
society, I will, if possible, send at least a verse of 
Scripture to be read in response to my name at 
the roll-call. 

Signed 

Form 3. — Actiye Member's Pledge 

Trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ for strength, 
I promise Him that I will strive to do whatever 
He would have me do. I will make it the rule 
of my life to pray and read the Bible, to support 
the work and worship of my church, and to take 



OEGANIZATION 57 

my part in the meetings and other activities of 
this society. I will seek to bring others to Christ, 
to give as I can for the spread of the Kingdom, 
to advance my country's welfare, and promote 
the Christian brotherhood of man. These things 
I will do unless hindered by conscientious reasons, 
and in them all I will seek the Saviour's guid- 
ance. 

Signed 

Form 4. — ^Actiye Member's Pledge 

Trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ for strength, I 
promise Him that I will strive to do whatever He 
would have me do. T will make it the rule of my 
life to pray and read the Bible, to support the 
work and worship of my church, and to take my 
part in the meetings and other activities of this 
society. These things I will do unless hindered 
by conscientious reasons, and in them all I will 
seek the Saviour's guidance. 

Signed 

Associate Member's Pledge 

As an associate member I promise to attend the 
prayer-meetings of the society habitually, and 
declare my willingness to do what I may be called 
upon to do as an associate member to advance 
the interests of the society. 

Signed 

4'. The Constitution 
The form of constitution given below is 
merely a suggestion that may help superintend- 
ents in preparing one that will meet their local 
needs. 



68 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

Article I. — Namie 

This society shaU be caUed the 

Inteemediate Society of Christian En- 
deavor. 

Article II. — Object 

Its object shall be to promote an earnest 
Christian life among its members, to increase 
their mutual acquaintance, to train them for 
work in the church, and in every way to make 
them more useful in the service of God. 

Article III. — Memhershvp 

1. The members shall consist of three classes, 
active, associate, and afl&liated. 

2. Active Members. The active members of 
this society shall consist of young persons who 
believe themselves to be Christians, and who 
sincerely desire to accomplish the objects above 
specified. It is left for each society and pastor 
to determine whether or not active members 
must be members of the church. 

3. Associate Members. All young persons of 
worthy character, who are not at present willing 
to be considered decided Christians, may become 
associate members of this society. It is expected 
that all associate members will habitually attend 
the prayer-meetings, and that they will in time 
become active members, and the society will 
work to this end. 

4. Affiliated Members. In order to reach and 
establish a point of contact with young people 
who for any reason will not join the society, 



OEGANIZATION 69 

clubs or classes of any kind, such as civic, 
athletic, musical, literary, Bible-study, mission- 
study, and Boys' Brigades, may be organized 
under the leadership of the Endeavorers, and 
the members of these clubs shall be accepted as 
affiliated members of the society. It is hoped 
that they may soon become active members, and 
the society will labor to that end. 

5. These different persons shall become 
members upon being elected by the society, 
after carefully examining the Constitution and 
upon signing their names to it, thereby pledging 
themselves to live up to its requirements. Vot- 
ing power shall be vested in the active members. 

6. When Intermediates reach the age of 
twenty, they shall graduate into the Young 
People's society. 

Aeticle IY. — Officers 

1. The officers of this society shall be a Presi- 
dent, Yice-President, Eecording Secretary, Cor- 
responding Secretary, and Treasurer, who shall 
be chosen from among the active members of 
the society.' 

2. There shall also be a Lookout Commit- 
tee, a Prayer-Meeting Committee, a Missionary 
Committee, a Social Committee, and such other 
committees as the needs of each society may 
require, each consisting of fiYQ active members, 
unless otherwise determined. There shall also 

^ If desired, a superintendent may be appointed by the 
Young People's society, with the approval of the pastor or 
church, who shall have general charge of the work of the 
society. 



60 THE INTEEMEDIATE MANUAL 

be an Executive Committee, as provided in Ar- 
ticle YI. 

Aetiole Y. — Duties of Officers 

1. President. The President of the society- 
shall perform the duties usually pertaining to 
that office. He shall have especial watch over 
the interests of the society, and it shall be his 
care to see that the different committees perform 
the duties devolving upon them. He shall be 
chairman of the Executive Committee. 

2. Vice-President. In the absence of the 
President, the Yice-President shall perform his 
duties.' 

3. Corresponding Secretary. It shall be the 
duty of the Corresponding Secretary to keep 
the local society in communication with the 
United Society and with the local and State 
unions, and to present to his ovni society such 
matters of interest as may come from the United 
Society and other authorized sources of Chris- 
tian Endeavor information. This office should 
be retained by one person as long as its duties 
can be efficiently performed, and the name shall 
be forwarded to the United Society. 

4. Recording Secretary. It shall be the duty 
of the Eecording Secretary to keep a roll of the 
members, to correct it from time to time, as 
may be necessary, and to obtain the signature 
to the Constitution of each newly elected mem- 
ber ; also to correspond with absent members, 

*It is suggested that the Vice-President may also be 
ohairman of the Lookout Committee. 



ORGANIZATION 61 

and to inform them of their standing in the so- 
ciety ; also to keep correct minutes of all busi- 
ness meetings of the society and of the Execu- 
tive Committee ; also to notify all persons elected 
to office or to committees, and to do so in writ- 
ing, if necessary. 

5. Treasurer. It shall be the duty of the 
Treasurer to keep safely all money belonging 
to the society, and to pay out only such sums 
as shall be voted by the society, or the commit- 
tees as authorized by the society. 

Aetiole YI. — Duties of Committees 

1. Lookout Committee. It shall be the duty 
of this committee to bring new members into 
the society, to introduce them to the work and 
to the other members, and affectionately to look 
after and reclaim any that seem indifferent to 
their duties, as outlined in the pledge. This 
committee shall also, by personal investigation, 
satisfy itself of the fitness of young persons to 
become members of this society, and shall pro- 
pose their names at least one week before the 
society votes upon their election. 

2. Prayer-Meeting Committee. It shall be 
the duty of this committee to have in charge 
the prayer-meeting, to see that a topic is as- 
signed and a leader appointed for every meet- 
ing, and to do what it can to make the meetings 
interesting and helpful. 

3. Missionary Committee. It shall be the 
duty of this committee to provide for regular 
missionary meetings, to organize mission-study 
classes when feasible, to interest the members 



62 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

of the society in missionary topics, and to aid, 
in any manner which may seem practicable, the 
cause of home and foreign missions. 

4. Social Committee. It shall be the duty 
of this committee to promote the social interests 
of the society by welcoming strangers to the 
meetings, and by providing for the mutual ac- 
quaintance of the members by occasional so- 
cials, for which any appropriate entertainment, 
of which the church approves, may be provided. 

6. Executive Committee.^ This committee 
shall consist of the pastor of the church, the 
oflficers of the society, the chairmen of the 
various committees, and the leaders of afB.liated 
groups or clubs. All matters of business re- 
quiring debate should be brought first before 
this committee, and by it reported to the society. 
Recommendations concerning the finances of 
the society should also originate with this com- 
mittee. 

6. Each committee, except the Executive, 
shall make a report in writing to the society, at 
the monthly business meetings, concerning the 
work of the past month. 

Article YII. — The Prayer-Meeting 

All the a'Ctive members shall attend and heart- 
ily support every meeting^ unless prevented hy 
some reason which can conscientiously he given 
to their Master, Jesus Christ. 

^One object of this committee is to prevent waste of time 
in the regular meetings of the society by useless debate and 
nnnece&sary parliamentary practice, which are always harm- 
ful to the spirit of a prayer-meeting. 



OEGANIZATION 63 

Article YUl.—The Pledge ' 

All persons on becoming active members of 
the society shall sign the Active Member's 
Pledge. Associate members shall sign the As- 
sociate Member's Pledge. 

Aeticle IX. — The Consecration-Meeting 

1. Once each month, or as often as the so- 
ciety may decide, a consecration or covenant 
meeting may he held, at which the roll may he 
called, and the responses of the active memhers 
shall he considered as renewed expressions of 
allegiance to Christ. It is expected that if any 
one is ohliged to he ahsentfrom this meeting, he 
will send a message, or at least a verse of Scrip- 
ture, to he read in response to his name at the 
roll-call. ^ 

2. If any active member of this society is 
absent from this meeting, and fails to send a 
message, the Lookout Committee is expected to 
take the name of such a one, and in a kind and 
brotherly spirit ascertain the reason for the ab- 
sence. If any active memher of the society is 
ahsent from three consecutive consecration-meet- 
ings, without sending a message, the loolcout 
Committee and the pastor shall consider the 

^ Samples of various forms in use -will be fonnd on another 
page, from which a selection can be made. If none of these 
meets the local needs, the past-or and the society are at liberty 
to formulate a pledge of their o^vn ; but it is earnestly hoped 
that a pledge embracing the ideas of private devotion, loy- 
alty to the church, and outspoken confession of Christ in the 
weekly meeting will be adopted. 

^ It is recommended that the jlrst meeting of each month 
be observed as consecration-meeting. 



U THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

matter, cmd may recommend to the Executive 
Committee that the m^emher he drojpjped from the 
roll. 

3. Any associate member who without good 
reason is regularly absent from the prayer- 
meetings, and shows no interest whatever in the 
work of the society, may, upon recommendation 
of the Lookout Committee and pastor to the 
Executive Committee, be dropped from the roll 
of members. 

Aeticle X. — Relation to the Church 

This society being a part of the church, it 
shall carry on its work in harmony with the 
wishes of the official board of the church. 



Aeticle XI. — Relation to the Junior cmd 
Young Peojple^s Society 
The Junior society, the Intermediate society, 
and the Young People's society being united by 
ties of closest sympathy and common effort, re- 
ports should be read from each at the semi- 
annual meetings of the others. As a rule Junior 
members attaining the age of fourteen should 
be graduated into the Intermediate society, and 
from there at the age of eighteen or twenty 
into the Young People's society. 

Aeticle XII. — Fellowship 

This society, while owing allegiance only to 
its own church and denomination, is united by 
ties of spiritual fellowship with other Endeavor 
societies the world around. This fellowship is 



ORGANIZATION 65 

based upon a common love to Christ, the princi- 
ples of a common covenant, and common meth- 
ods of work, and is guaranteed by a common 
name, '^ Christian Endeavor," used either alone 
or in connection with some denominational 
name. 

This fellowship is that of an interdenomina- 
tional, not an undenominational, organization. 
It is promoted by local-union meetings. State 
and national conventions, and in many other 
ways. 

Aetigle XIII. — Withdrawals 

Any member who may wish to withdraw 
from the society shaU state the reasons to the 
Lookout Committee and pastor. On their 
recommendation to the Executive Committee, 
the member's name may be dropped from the 
roll. 



Article XIY. — Exjpansion 

Any other committees may be added and 
duties assumed by this society which in the 
future may seem best. 

Article XY. — Amendment 

This Constitution may be amended at any 
regular business meeting by a two-thirds vote 
of the entire active membership of the society, 
provided that a written statement of the pro- 
posed amendment shall have been read to the 
society and deposited with the Secretary at the 
regular business-meeting next preceding. 



66 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

Specimen By-Laws ^ 
Article I 

This society shall hold a prayer-meeting on 

the evening of each week. The first 

regular prayer-meeting of the month shall be a 
consecration-meeting, at which the roll shall be 
called. 

Aeticle II 

Method of Conducting the Consecration-Meetmg 

At this meeting the roll may be called by the 
leader during the meeting or at its close. After 
the opening exercises the names of five or more 
may be called, and then a hymn may be sung 
or a prayer offered. The committees may be 
called by themselves, the letters of the alphabet 
merely may be called (all whose names begin 
with A responding first, etc.), or other varia- 
tions of the roll-call may be introduced. Thus 
varied, with singing and prayer interspersed, 
the entire roll shall be called. During the 
meeting, or at its close, the list of associate 
members may be called, the associates answer- 
ing, "Present." 

Article III 

This society may hold its regular business- 
meeting ^ in connection with the regu- 

* If it is thought that these rules and regulations are un- 
necessarily long, it should be borne distinctly in mind that 
these specimen By-Laws are simply given as suggestions. 

2 This business-meeting will usually be simply for the 
hearing of reports from the committees, or for such matters 
as will not detract from the spiritual tone of the meeting. 



ORGANIZATION 67 

lar prayer-meeting in the month, or in connec- 
tion with a monthly social. Special business- 
meetings may be held at the call of the Presi- 
dent. 

Article IY 

The election of officers and committees shall 
be held at the first business-meeting in . . o . . . 

A Nominating Committee shall be appointed 
by the President at least two weeks previous to 
the time for electing new officers. Of this com- 
mittee the pastor shall be a member ex officio. 
If the society so orders, the officers and com- 
mittee chairmen only may be elected, the new 
Executive Committee filling out the committees. 
It is understood that these officers are chosen 
subject to the approval of the church. If there 
is no objection on the part of the church, the 
election stands. 

Aeticle Y 

Applications for membership may be made 
on printed forms, which shall be supplied by 
the Lookout Committee and returned to them 
for consideration. 

Names may be proposed for membership one 
week before the business-meeting, and shall be 
voted on by the society at that meeting.' 

Aeticle YI 

Persons who have forfeited their membership 
may be readmitted on recommendation of the 

* It is recommended that the new members be formally 
received at the consecration-meeting following their election. 



68 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

Lookout Committee and pastor, and by vote of 
the members present at any regular business 
meeting. 

Aeticle YII 

New members shall sign the Constitution 
within four weeks from their election, to con- 
firm the vote of the society. 

Aeticle YIII 

Letters of introduction to other Christian 
Endeavor societies shall be given to members 
in good standing who apply to be released from 
their obligations to the society, this release to 
take effect when they shall become members of 
another society ; until then, their names shall 
be kept on the absent list. Members removing 
to other places, or desiring to join other Chris- 
tian Endeavor societies in the same city or town, 
are requested to obtain letters of introduction 
within six months from the time of their leav- 
ing, unless they shall give satisfactory reasons 
to the society for their further delay. 

Aeticle IX 

Other committees may be added, according 
to the needs of the society, of which the follow- 
ing are examples : 

Information Committee. It shall be the duty 
of this committee to gather interesting and 
helpful information concerning Endeavorers or 
Endeavor work in all parts of the world, and to 
report the same. For this purpose five minutes 



ORGANIZATION 69 

shall be set aside at the beginning of each 
meeting. 

Sunday-School Committee. It shall be the 
duty of this committee to endeavor to bring 
into the Sunday-school those who do not attend 
elsewhere, and to co-operate with the super- 
intendent and officers of the school in all ways 
that they may suggest for the benefit of the 
Sunday-school. 

Calling Committee. It shall be the duty of 
this committee to have a special care for those 
among the young people that do not feel at 
home in the church, to call on them, and to 
remind others where calls should be made. 

Music Committee. It shall be the duty of 
this committee to provide for the singing at the 
young people's meeting, and also to turn the 
musical ability of the society to account when 
the Endeavorers can be helpful at public relig- 
ious meetings. 

Flower Committee. It shall be the duty of 
this committee to provide flowers for the pulpit, 
and to distribute them to the sick at the close 
of the Sabbath services. 

Temperance Committee. It shall be the duty 
of this committee to do what may be deemed 
best to promote temperance principles and 
sentiment among the members of the society. 

Belief Committee. It shall be the duty of 
this committee to do what it can to cheer and 
aid, by material comforts, if possible and neces- 
sary, the sick and destitute among the young 
people of the church and Sunday-school. 



70 THE INTEEMEDIATE MANUAL 

Good- Literature Committee. It shall be the 
duty of this committee to do its utmost to pro- 
mote the reading of good books and papers. 
To this end, it shall do what it can to circulate 
among its members The Christian Endeavor 
Worlds also to obtain subscribers for the de- 
nominational papers and missionary magazines 
among the families of the congregation as the 
pastor and church may direct. It may, if 
deemed best, distribute tracts and religious 
leaflets, and introduce good reading-matter in 
any other suitable way which may be desired. 

Press Cammittee. It shall be the duty of this 
committee to send items regarding the work of 
the society and church to the newspapers acces- 
sible to it, and in aU feasible ways to use for 
Christ the power of printers' ink. 

The Whatsoever Committee. This committee 
shall consist of graduates from the Junior 
society, — aU boys, if the society maintains also 
a Lend-a-Hand Committee. The Junior super- 
intendent or some other older person shall be 
chairman of the committee, and its members 
shall aid the other committees in doing their 
work, take up the little duties that do not fall 
to the lot of any other committee, and in this 
way obtain an introduction to the work of the 
older society. 

The Lend-OrHand Committee. This com- 
mittee, if it is formed, shall consist of the girl 
graduates from the Junior society, and its work 
shaU be similar to that of the Whatsoever 
Committee. 

Other committees not here found may be 



OKGANIZATION 71 

added as occasion may demand and the church 
may desire.' 

Aeticle X 

Members that cannot meet with this society 
for a time are requested to obtain leave of 
absence, which shall be granted by the society 
and withdrawn at any time, on recommendation 
of the Lookout Committee and the pastor, and 
their names shall be placed on the absent list. 

Aeticle XI 
.... members shall constitute a quorum. 

Aeticle XII 

These By-Laws may be amended by a two- 
thirds vote of the members present at any 
regular meeting, provided that notice of such 
amendment is read to the society, and given in 
writing to the Secretary at least one week be- 
fore the amendment is acted upon. 

^ Many societies find it a good plan to have so many com- 
mittees that every member may serve on a committee or 
hold an office, thus receiving definite training by service. 



CHAPTEE YII 
HOW TO MAKE SUCCESSFUL MEET^GS 

Eev. Chaeles Stelzle tells a good story 
about two young men from the East Side in 
New York. Said the one," Mawruss, what do 
them letters mean, D. D., M. D., LL. D. ? " 

" They mean brains," replied Mawruss with 
emphasis. " D. D. means Doctor of Divinity ; 
M. D. means Doctor of Medicine ; and LL. D. 
means Doctor of Laws." 

A week or two afterward Mawruss met his 
friend again, and the young man pulled out a 
visiting-card, and handed it to him. On the 
card was the name, and, trailing after it, the 
cryptic letters " FF, FF, F." 

"What do these letters mean?" inquired 
Mawruss. " FF, FF, F. What does it mean ? " 

" Dat means brains," answered his friend. 

" Yes, but how brains ? " persisted Mawruss. 
" FF, FF, F." 

" Dat means two fires, two failures, and one 
fortune." 

To make a prayer-meeting successful requires 

brains. The superintendent that thinks that 

societies run themselves, or that success is won 

without effort, will make more than two failures. 

72 



SUCCESSFUL MEETINGS 73 

If we think meanly of the Intermediate 
society, we shall have poor, uninteresting meet- 
ings. But if we think largely about the society, 
and plan for large and important things, we 
are on the highroad to success. 

Eem ember that Intermediates will follow the 
line of their deepest interests. Look at the 
road that leads to a baseball-field when a big 
game is on. It is black with people. They 
are interested, and their interest draws them. 
So we must study the Intermediates, just as the 
advertisement-writer studies men and what 
appeals to men. The young man's interest 
must be made the point of contact. If superin- 
tendents asked themselves what the young 
people are interested in, what will appeal most 
strongly to them, we should hear of less failure. 
We must distinguish between our own interests 
and the interests of boys and girls in their 
teens. 

Too little attention is paid to the accessories 
of the meetings. Here are a few hints : 

1. Make the room attractive. The object 
in getting young people to attend meetings is 
not to make them gloomy martyrs. 

2. Look to the lighting. A half -dark room 
is a poor place to hold a meeting. Young 
people like brightness for most meetings. Of 
course some prayer-meetings may be held in a 
dim light. 



74: THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

3. Have good seats. No one likes to be 
uncomfortable. 

4. Ventilation is important. The reason 
why people yawn in street-cars, for example, is 
because the air is vitiated, deoxygenized. People 
fall asleep in church for the same reason. 

5. The temperature should be right. Too 
much heat or cold should be avoided. 

6. Give a good deal of thought to the music. 
A good leader is an absolute necessity. Spirited 
singing is one of the best attractions for young 
people. 

7. Make large use of the blackboard. If 
there is a member with any talent for drawing, 
make him the society artist. Of course, others 
may assist him. Arrange to have at least one 
point illustrated by a blackboard drawing at 
every meeting. 

Peeparatiojs^ for the Meeting 
It goes without saying that the superintendent 
must prepare for the meeting, not only by much 
prayer, but also by a careful study of the topic. 
He should outline some simple methods and 
suggest them, if necessary, to the leader of the 
meeting in a private talk with him a week in 
advance. 

Every member should read the daily readings. 
Urge the Intermediates to keep a note-book at 
hand and write down each day one thought 



SUCCESSFUL MEETINGS 75 

that strikes them. If they read over their 
notes before the meeting, they will have more 
than sufficient material for a short talk. 

A good plan is to take a month's or a three 
months' pledge to read the daily readings every 
day, write out one thought daily, and give at 
least one original thought in the meeting. 

How Conduct the Meetings? 

" It is my conviction," writes Mr. Paul Brown, 
field secretary of the California Christian En- 
deavor union, " that the Intermediate society 
should be conducted on almost the same Hnes 
that were originally laid down for the Young 
People's society, and that the older societies 
should tackle some advance work and methods." 

This expresses the consensus of opinion among 
Intermediate workers, with this difference, how- 
ever, that there must be more variety in the 
Intermediate meeting than in the Young 
People's. Thus, Intermediates enjoy meetings 
that have special features such as a leaderless 
meeting, a chairless meeting, when each member 
receives a chair as he or she takes part, a meet- 
ing with the chairs arranged in a circle or in 
the shape of the Christian Endeavor monogram, 
and so forth. 

" Our little society of thirty members," writes 
a correspondent from California, " is not yet a 
year old, but it has had a wonderful influence, 



76 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

especially among the boys. "We have had a 
splendid superintendent, a high-school teacher, 
who is constantly in touch with young people. 
Our ages run from fourteen to twenty-one years. 

" We have established a little prayer circle 
before the meeting. Often six or eight members 
take part. There has been very little trouble 
about slip-reading, since all seem to be willing 
to develop a question or give a long article 
in their own words. The subject is given them 
on the Monday or Tuesday before the Sunday 
on which it is to be reported. 

" The meetings are usually started with a few 
songs, and then the repetition of the Lord's 
Prayer seems to give tone to the meeting. We 
have decorated our rather bare room with green 
burlap screens and with flowers." 

Giving to the Intermediates questions in 
writing with the request that they answer them 
in the meeting has been worked successfully in 
many societies. There are many that will write 
out their replies and read them who could not 
take part in any other way. In other societies 
fifteen minutes of each meeting are given to 
reading some interesting book, and this works 
well when the books are well chosen. The Inter- 
mediates may take turns, if this is practicable, in 
reading. 

The helps printed for the Young People's 
societies in The Christian Endeavor World 



SUCCESSFUL MEETINGS 77 

should be used for the Intermediate society, 
adapted, if need be, to local conditions. 

Different Kinds of Meetings 
The list of such meetings is limited only by 
the ingenuity of the superintendent or mem- 
bers. A few suggestions will show what can 
be done. 

1. A leaderless Tneeting. The programme 
is written on the blackboard, and is followed 
closely. Some societies have timed each item. 
The president of one society intimated that 
when the time came for general participation, 
and an interval of thirty seconds elapsed dur- 
ing which no one took part, he would close the 
meeting. 

2. A chairless meeting. As each one takes 
part, he is given a chair, and takes his seat. 

3. A monogram meeting, the chairs being 
arranged in the form of the Christian Endeavor 
monogram. On a wet night it gives a cozy im- 
pression to have the chairs arranged in a circle. 
They may be arranged in the shape of a fan, or 
a cross, and so on. 

.^. A solo meeting, when nothing is done in 
concert, but every part of the programme is car- 
ried out by a single individual. Solos should 
also be sung, of course. 

5. A duet meeting, when the chairs are ar- 
ranged in pairs. When one member of a pair 



78 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

rises to take part, the other member must also 
rise and take part. The Scripture lesson should 
also be read by having each couple take a verse. 
Duets are in order. 

6. A trio meeting is carried out in the same 
way as a duet meeting, but everything must be 
done in threes. 

7. An inverted meeting. The leader con- 
ducts this meeting from the back of the room. 

8. A divided meeting^ the girls being seated 
on one side of the room and the boys on the 
other. This meeting may be worked as a con- 
test between boys and girls, or they may simply 
take part alternately. 

9. A quartette meeting^ in which a quartette 
of boys or girls lead, and all that is done is done 
by four people acting at once where this is 
possible, or one after the other. 

10. A favorite-hymn meeting^ each member 
selecting a hymn beforehand and giving it out 
in the meeting, at the same time telling one or 
two facts about the h3rmn or the author. 

11. A memory meeting. No books are used 
in this meeting. Instead of reading the Scrip- 
tures let the members quote from memory their 
favorite verses. Hymns may be sung from 
memory, too. 

12. Absent members' meeting. Letters from 
absent members should be read. In securing 
these letters teU the absent members what the 



SUCCESSFUL MEETINGS 79 

topic is, and ask them to answer definite ques- 
tions. 

13, Post-office meeting. The members write 
letters on the topic to the president, and hand 
them to him before the meeting. Two or three 
members may read these letters during the 
meeting. 

H. A sealed-order meeting. In this case the 
president or secretary gives to each member as 
he enters the room a slip of paper with a re- 
quest on it to do some special thing during the 
meeting, to engage in prayer, to take part, to 
announce a hymn, and so forth. The success 
of this meeting lies, of course, in the willing- 
ness of every one to do what he is told. 

15. A 'hiograjphical meeting. The members 
wiU each come prepared to teU some of the 
main facts about some life that has inspired 
them. A brief biography of the authors of 
the hymns sung should also be given. 

16. Question-hox meetings. At the close of 
one meeting a question-box should be opened, 
and the members should be requested to put 
questions into it. At the next meeting another 
opportunity for questions should be given. The 
pastor or some experienced worker should re- 
ply to the questions, giving the members an 
opportunity to express themselves if they desire. 
A good plan is to have workers present to 
answer questions that may fall under their 



80 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

speciality. Thus the pastor wiU naturally take 
Bible questions ; the Sunday-school superin- 
tendent will take questions relating to Sunday- 
school work, and so on. 

17. An information meeting. In this meet- 
ing each member is expected to give one fact 
about Christian Endeavor. It is well to divide 
the theme, assigning to some to speak about 
Christian Endeavor history;, to others, about 
Christian Endeavor principles ; to others. Chris- 
tian Endeavor methods ; and to yet others, 
Christian Endeavor achievements. Such a 
meeting convinces some Endeavorers that they 
do not know all that they ought to know about 
Christian Endeavor, and spurs them to study. 

18. A vacation meeting. At the beginning 
of the season it is well to have the Intermedi- 
ates tell of their experiences during the summer. 
If the superintendent will write out a few ques- 
tions and hand them to different members, he 
will broaden the scope of the meeting and 
bring out helpful ideas. 

19. An object meeting. To this meeting 
each member is asked to bring some object and 
to draw one helpful lesson from it. In this case 
there will, of course, be a great variety of ob- 
jects. A similar meeting may be narrowed 
down to a flower meeting, a nature meeting, or 
something like that. 

W. A church-echo meeting. The members 



SUCCESSFUL MEETINGS 81 

may be asked to attend church in the forenoon, 
and make notes of the best part of the sermon. 
At the meeting they will give it in their own 
words, telling how it impressed them. If the 
words of a hymn have impressed one, of course 
he will tell of that. 

21. A Bible- promise meeting. The mem- 
bers may be asked to find some of the great 
promises of the Bible and repeat them in the 
meeting, adding a few words of their own. 
Others will tell how the promises of God are 
sure, and others, how they have been fulfilled. 
Some will probably tell of promises fulfilled in 
their own experience. 

22. A beginners'' meeting. This will be a 
fine opportunity to get near the beginners and 
encourage them to do something, however lit- 
tle. An older member may be assigned to each 
beginner to help him, to suggest what he should 
say, and to sit beside him during the meeting. 
Yery often the beginner will follow or precede 
this older member, strengthened by his interest 
and presence. 

23. A chain meeting. As each one takes 
part, he is permitted to call on some one else 
to follow him. This means that each one must 
come prepared to do something. 

2J^. A pleasant-memory meeting. The mem- 
bers are asked to come prepared to relate one 
pleasant memory. Letters from absent mem- 



82 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

bers, from church officers, and from friends, 
may be secured and used in the meeting. 

25. A candle-light meeting. Sometimes the 
members are supplied with candles ; and, as 
each person takes part, he lights his candle from 
the leader's candle, which stands in the centre 
of the table. With this method, however, 
clothes are liable to be damaged by grease ; so 
other ways have been devised. One society 
had a large wooden cross prepared. In the wood 
were bored a large number of holes the size of 
the end of a candle. The members were given 
candles; and, as each took part, he went to 
the front, where the cross lay on the floor, 
lighted his candle, and placed it in one of the 
holes. The effect was very fine. Another so- 
ciety used a board with the holes arranged in the 
shape of the Christian Endeavor monogram. 

26. A young men^s meeting. A special meet- 
ing may be held for the young men, to which 
the boys bring their friends. A programme 
that touches young men's interests should be 
prepared in advance, and nothing should be left 
to chance. Plan everything carefully and 
well. 

27. A young womsn^s m^eeting may be held 
on the same day as the young men's meeting, 
if desired, but in a different room. At the close 
of the meetings a united praise service lasting 
ten minutes might be conducted. 



SUCCESSFUL MEETINGS 83 

28, A standing meeting. The members stand 
at the back of the hall ; and, as each one takes 
part, he walks to the front and takes his seat. 

29, A staff meeting. On single-track rail- 
roads the engineer of a train was at one time 
given a staff by the station-master to show that 
the track was clear and to indicate that he had 
right of way. In the staff meeting a staff (a 
roll of cardboard wiU do, or a Bible) is passed 
from one member to another, the one receiving 
the staff having right of way, and taking part 
before he hands the staff to another. 

30, A cottage grayer-meeting. Hold the 
meeting once in a while in different surround- 
ings, the home of one of the members, the room 
of a shut-in, or in some institute or home. The 
programme should be prepared in advance. 

SI. A sunrise meeting^ held at the same 
hour in the morning as the meeting is usually 
held at night, is attractive once in a while. An 
added attraction is a breakfast served in the 
church parlors after the meeting. 

82. A suggestion meeting in which the mem- 
bers are expected not only to criticise the so- 
ciety, but to suggest one way to better it, or to 
outline some work that it might undertake. 

3S. A song meeting is always attractive. 
The songs of one author may be used, and the 
story connected with each may be told. Yaria- 
tions of this are a meeting for gospel songs, or 



84 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

for songs written in the Middle Ages, each 
prefaced with a brief account of the author's 
life. Or songs written in one century may be 
chosen, or songs of tne Scottish Covenanters, or 
songs of the Reformation, and so on. 

SJf,. A carnation meeting. Each member is 
given a carnation as he comes into the hall. 
Some societies prefer to hand out the flowers as 
the members take part. 

35. A fathers^ meeting. Some of the boys 
may not care to take prominent part in this 
meeting ; so the programme should be arranged 
to give the fathers an inning. If the superin- 
tendent will get in touch with a number of 
the boys' fathers and assign to them subjects 
on which he wishes them to speak, the meeting 
will be a success. Special invitations should be 
sent to the fathers, of course. 



CHAPTEE YIII 
BIBLE DEILLS 

One important difference between the Young 
People's meeting and that of the Intermediates 
is the use of Bible drills in the latter. Perhaps 
there is as much need of such drills in the one 
place as the other, for there is a woful lack of 
knowledge of the Bible even among mature 
Christians. It is not uncommon to see people 
looking for the book of Revelation in the Old 
Testament, or the book of Judges in the !New. 

The Intermediate society provides an excel- 
lent opportunity for the Intermediates to make 
themselves acquainted with the books of the 
Bible. It is practice that counts in this, as in 
everything else. Much of the knowledge that 
we laboriously acquire in school is lost later in 
life, because we have not been called upon to 
use it. Who can name offhand the capitals of 
the less conspicuous countries in Europe, Bosnia, 
Croatia, and even Denmark? In the Junior 
society the boys and girls often learn how to 
find the books of the Bible, but they forget if 
they do not keep at it. The Intermediate so- 
ciety furnishes excellent practice. 

Besides, Bible drills may be carried much 
85 



86 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

farther in the Intermediate society than is pos- 
sible in the Junior, because the intelligence of 
the members is more developed. We can get 
Intermediates to memorize Bible verses that 
have a definite relation to one another. Thus 
we can take a Bible topic and pursue it in a 
Bible drill that will fix it in the mind. What 
would some of us not give to have been taught 
great texts dealing with great topics in this 
way ? Woodrow Wilson remarks : " It is very 
difficult for a man, for a boy, who knows the 
Scriptures ever to get away from it. It haunts 
him like an old song. It follows him like the 
memory of his mother. It reminds him like 
the word of an old and revered teacher. It 
forms part of the warp and woof of his life." 

In carrying on Bible drills use the black- 
board, and get the Intermediates to copy the 
outline of the day's drill in a note-book kept for 
this purpose alone. 

Suppose we begin with the books of the Bible. 
We write on the blackboard the total number, 
sixty-six. We point out that these books were 
written by difi'erent authors at different periods 
of history ; that each book unfolds some special 
aspect of God's revelation of Himself, the later 
books, generally speaking, attaining greater and 
greater clearness, until the Old Testament reve- 
lation bursts into flower in God's revelation of 
Himself in His Son, Jesus Christ. Then this 



BIBLE DRILLS 87 

revelation is expanded and expounded in the 
books of the New Testament. 

To help Intermediates to memorize the 
names of the books of the Bible and to form 
a clear mental picture of their positions in the 
Book, write out on the blackboard a scheme 
like the following : 



Historical Books 


Poetical Books 


Prophetical Books 


Genesis 


Job 


Isaiah 


Exodus 


Psalms 


Jeremiah 


Leviticus 


Proverbs 


Lamentations 


Numbers 


Ecclesiastes 


Ezekiel 


Deuteronomy 
Joshua 


Song of Solomon Daniel 
Hosea 


Judges 
Euth 




Joel 
Amos 


1 and 2 Samuel 




Obadiah 


1 and 2 Kings 
1 and 2 Chronicles 


Jonah 
Micah 


Ezra 




Nahum 


Nehemiah 




Habakkuk 


Esther 




Zephaniah 
Haggai 
Zechariah 
Malachi 



The very names of the books suggest the 
divisions to which they belong ; and, as these 
divisions follow one another, the general posi- 
tion of each book is easily determined. 

But look at the divisions a little more closely. 
The first five books in the first division are 
called the Pentateuch, and contain the story of 
the creation, the history of the patriarchs, the 
exodus of the children of Israel from Egypt, 
and their journey to Canaan. The last book is 



88 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

a summary of the law and the circumstances 
attending the giving of it. It is essential that 
the Intermediates know not only the names of 
the books, but also the general contents. 

After Israel entered Canaan, and Moses 
had passed away, a new leader arose, Joshua. 
His work is related in the book that bears 
his name. After Joshua came the Judges, who 
ruled Israel before the people demanded a 
king, and the book of Judges tells us of their 
exploits. The beautiful idyl of Euth follows 
the book of Judges, because it belongs to that 
historical period. And after Euth comes Samuel, 
the last of the judges. Samuel's successors were 
Saul the king, and David, both anointed by 
him. Hence the books of Kings follow Samuel. 
The books of Chronicles retell the story of the 
kings of Israel and Judah from a reKgious and 
hortatory standpoint. 

The history related in these books carries us 
to the Babylonish captivity, when the entire 
nation was deported to Babylon. Ezra and 
Nehemiah were among those that returned from 
Babylon to Canaan, and their books record the 
events that led up to the return. The patriotic 
story related in the book of Esther tells of an 
incident of the dark years of the captivity. 

When the connection between the books is 
presented in this way, it is no longer a hard 
task to find them. 



BIBLE DKILLS 89 

The poetical books will not present any diflBl- 
culty. They, too, follow the historical order. 
Job is, of course, the oldest, and stands first. 
The Psalms, many of them the work of David, 
comes next. Then Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, 
both attributed to Solomon, the son of David. 

Turning to the prophets, we find that there 
are four large books which, for this reason, 
have been called the major prophets. They are 
arranged in their historical order also. Isaiah 
comes first ; then Jeremiah, who Hved during 
the events that led up to the captivity ; then 
Ezekiel, who lived during the captivity and 
prophesied in Babylon ; and Daniel, whose story 
is well known. Merely to call attention to this 
relation fixes the position of these books. 

Then follow twelve minor prophets helter- 
skelter, w ithout order of any kind. These twelve 
names must simply be memorized and worked 
over until they find a permanent place in the mind. 

The books of the 'New Testament may be 
dealt with in the same way under four heads. 
Gospels, History, Epistles, and Prophecy. 

From Matthew to Corinthians the way is 
clear. From this point the Intermediates should 
take the books in groups, thus : 

Galatians 
Ephesians 
Philippians 
Colossians 



90 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

Then come the five T's : the two epistles to 
the Thessalonians, the two letters to Timothy, 
and the letter to Titus. After Titus we have 
Paul's last personal epistle, that to Philemon. 
Then comes the letter to the Hebrews. After 
this come the writings of other apostles : Peter's 
two letters ; John's three letters ; the epistle by 
Jude ; and the Eevelation. 

Knowledge of the position of the books of 
the Bible should be constantly tested by verse 
drills. The superintendent should call chapter 
and verse, and finally the name of a book, and 
let the members see how quickly they can find 
the place. A spell-down of this kind is sure to 
create interest, and it should be frequently 
held. 

The Books of the Bible 
Beginning with the books of the New Testa- 
ment, Intermediates will find that the books of 
the Bible form a series of fascinating studies. 
The blackboard should be used for outlines. 
One superintendent writes that her Intermedi- 
ates commenced with the Gospels, and used the 
following outline for each, giving fifteen minutes 
to the drill. 

1. Number of chapters. 

2. Author's name and character. 

3. Where the book was written. 

4. When the book was written. 



BIBLE DRILLS 91 

5. "Why the book was written, 

6. For whom the book was written. 

7. Jesus described as — (in the case of Mat- 

thew, for example, the word "Mes- 
siah " would be inserted here). 

8. Emphatic truth. 

9. What is especially recorded. 

10. Characteristics. 

11. Frequent expressions. 

12. Key- word. 

13. Key-verse. 

14. Favorite verses. 

15. Conclusion. 

This sort of drill should be a blessing, not only 
to Intermediates, but also to superintendents. 
It will help to keep their Bible knowledge fresh ; 
and, if they lack knowledge, will drive them to 
obtain it by careful study. A good plan is to 
secure a reliable commentary on the book to be 
studied, and to read it along with the Bible. 
Care, however, must be taken, in this case, to 
keep out technical discussions and stick to simple 
truths. 

A Palestine Deill 

The superintendent above referred to intro- 
duced a study of Palestine under the headings 
given below : 

1. The provinces of Palestine and the length 
of time spent by Christ in each. 

2. The homes of Jesus, their distance and 
direction from Jerusalem. 



92 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

3. Mountains connected with the life of 
Christ. 

4. Principal bodies of water mentioned in 
the New Testament. 

This might be largely extended. For ex- 
ample, a study of Jerusalem itself might be 
made, which would give a fine opportunity to 
refer to ancient customs. 

In the same way missionary drills may be 
prepared, which will give the members a new 
idea of missions. 

Alphabet Drill 

Intermediates are not beyond making a Bible 
alphabet of their own. The simplest form of 
this is to ask the members to find and memorize 
texts beginning with a certain letter of the 
alphabet ; the letter A the first week ; B, the 
second week ; C, the third ; and so on. Each 
Intermediate keeps a record of the texts he has 
memorized ; and, when the alphabet is finished, 
an examination may be held in the shape of a 
spell-down to see who has remembered the texts 
memorized. 

A variation is to assign to each Intermediate 
a different letter of the alphabet with the request 
that he find a text beginning with this letter. 
In this way the whole alphabet is gone over in 
one meeting. The next Sunday different letters 
are assigned. 



BIBLE DRILLS 93 

A Book-Knowledge Contest 
Divide the society into two parts, taking care 
to have the sides fairly evenly matched. Ap- 
point a captain for each side, and assign a book 
of the Bible — a book chosen from the New 
Testament is best to begin with — to be studied 
by all. After two weeks' or a month's study, 
as the case may be, have a contest between the 
sides to see which has attained the more accurate 
knowledge of the contents of the book. 

To conduct the contest a referee should be 
appointed, the pastor, perhaps, or the super- 
intendent himself. The referee will determine 
whether a question is allowable or not, and will 
settle any matter in dispute. His decision is 
final. A judge may be appointed besides the 
referee. 

The two sides stand facing each other. The 
captains alternately put questions, based on the 
contents of the book under study, to the oppo- 
site side, beginning with the first person in the 
opposing row. If he cannot answer the ques- 
tion put to him, this person takes his seat, and 
the same question is put to number two, and so 
on until it is answered. The side that puts out 
all their opponents is the winner. 

Study Deill 
Give the Intermediates two or three weeks 
to read through a book of the JS'ew Testament, 



94 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

say one of the Gospels. Ask them, as they 
read, to supply to each chapter a short title 
which will suggest to them the main contents 
of the chapter. At the time appointed the 
Intermediates will bring this list of titles to 
the meeting and read it — ^in the following 
manner : 

Each one will read the title he suggests for 
the first chapter. Then the members will be 
asked to name the best title suggested for this 
chapter. If there is a difference of opinion, 
vote on the matter. "When the best title has 
been fixed upon, write it on the blackboard and 
let the Intermediates copy it. In this way go 
through the entire list of chapters. 

Each member will then have this revised list. 
Give a week now to memorize it. Thereafter, 
week by week, drill the members on the con- 
tents of the various chapters. A question like 
" What are the contents of St. Matthew, chapter 
ten ? " should bring out a correct reply at once. 
By taking book by book the members will soon 
gain a working knowledge of the contents, and, 
better than that, will know how to go to work 
to make out lists of their own. 

The titles of the chapters must be very 
brief. They are not meant to cover the con- 
tents of each chapter, but to suggest them. 
A few from Matthew will show what is in- 
tended. 



BIBLE DRILLS 96 

The Gospel ly Matthew : 

Chapter 1. Genealogy, through Joseph. 

" 2. Birth of Jesus. 

« 3. The Baptist. 

" 4. Temptation. 

" 5, 6, and T. Sermon on the Mount. 

" 8. Mn-acles. 

" 9. More miracles. 

" 10. CaU of the twelve. 

" 11. John's question. 

" 12. Controversy. 

" 13. Parables of the Kingdom. 

" 14. Herod and John. 

" 15. Eebuke to Pharisees. 

" 16. The great confession. 

" 17. Transfiguration. 

" 18. The child-text. 

" 19. Discussion in Judea. 

" 20. The shadow of death. 

" 21. Entry into Jerusalem. 

" 22. Herodians, Sadducees, and Phar- 
isees. 

" 23. Marks of a Pharisee. 

" 24. Jesus' prophecy. 

" 25. Parables of the return. 

" 26. Conspiracy against Jesus. 

" 27. Delivered to death. 

" 28. Resurrection. 

Topic Deill 
Occasional drills in the study of Bible topics 
should be introduced for the purpose of teach- 
ing the members how to handle their Bibles. 
There is no better book of helps for preparing 



96 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

such drills than Professor Wells's work, " The 
Bible Marksman," published by the United So- 
ciety of Christian Endeavor, Tremont Temple, 
Boston, Mass., price, thirty-five cents, post-paid. 

A sample drill will give an idea of the way 
these topics are treated. 

The subject is " Christ," and the subtopics 
are: 

1. Prophecies of Christ (Isa. 53 : 4-12). 

2. His divinity (John 1 : 1-5, 18, 34). 

3. His character (Heb. 12 : 2). 

4. His mission (Matt. 20 : 28). 

5. His authority (Phil. 2, 9, 11). 

6. His love (John 15 : 9-15). 

7. His atonement (John 3 : 14, 15). 

Under each head are given a number of 
Scripture texts which throw light upon the 
topic. Thus : 

1. ProjpKecies of Christ. Gen. 3 : 15 ; 12 : 3 
49 : 10 ; Num. 24 : IT ; Deut. 18:15; Job 19 : 25 
Ps. 2:6-9; 22:18; 69:7-9, 21; 72:2-17 
110 : 1 ; Isa. 9 : 6, 7 ; 11 : 1-10 ; 32 : 2 ; 40 : 9-11 
42:1-7; 62:13,14; 61:1-3; 63:1-9; Jer 
23 : 5, 6 ; Ezek. 34 : 23 ; Dan. 2 : 35, 44 ; 7 : 13, 14 
Mic. 5:2; Zech. 9 : 9, 10 ; 13 : 1 ; Mai. 3 : 1-3 
4:2. 

2. His divinity. Matt. 12 : 41, 42 ; 26 : 63, 
64 ; Luke 22 : 70 ; 24 : 25-27 ; John 5 : 17, 18, 23 ; 
6 : 54, 62 ; 8 : 23, 28, 56-58 ; 10 : 30-38 ; 13 : 19 ; 
14:6,11,19; 17:5; 2 Cor. 5:19; Col. 2:9. 



BIBLE DEILLS 97 

In this fashion each of the seven subtopics is 
expanded. 

The Intermediates should be taught how to 
use a Bible concordance, how by this means to 
trace a subject in the Scriptures and weave text 
into text. The advantage of drills like this is 
not merely that they impart knowledge, but 
that they teach the young people to think for 
themselves, and show them how to enter upon 
individual research. The blessing of God rests 
upon him who knows how to search the Scrip- 
tures intelligently. 

Bible Text-Matches 
Sides are chosen with a captain on each side. 
Then Scripture texts are repeated, first by one 
side, then by the other, and any one that fails 
to give a text in his turn sits down. The side 
that keeps up longest wins. 

Bible Aeches 

A Philadelphia superintendent has been 
teaching his Intermediates Bible history with 
the help of a blackboard on which he drew 
eight arches, each representing a period. 

Around the outside of the first arch the names 
of the Bible characters that lived during that 
period are written. One name is given to each 
Intermediate (eight or ten Intermediates being 
used) a week in advance, and he tells the life- 



98 THE IXTEEMEDIATE MANUAL 

story of the individual assigned to him. Inside 
the arch are written the principal events of the 
period. 

Thus, around the first arch appear the names 
Adam, Eve, Cain, Abel, Seth, Jared, Enoch. 
Inside the arch, the following events : creation 
of the world ; fail of man ; death of Abel ; 
translation of Enoch. 

Each Old Testament arch is supposed to cover 
one thousand years ; each Xew Testament arch, 
twenty-five years. Beginning the second mil- 
lennium, therefore, with the name Methuselah, 
we end with Abraham ; and the events are : 
wickedness of the world ; the flood ; the tower 
of Babel. 

The third arch begins with Isaac, and takes 
in the great names in history up to and includ- 
ing the time of Solomon, covering also events 
Like the journeys of the patriarchs, the sojourn 
in Egypt, the vrilderness, the conquest of 
Canaan, the judges, and the rule of the kings. 
The fourth period stretches from Elijah to 
Christ, and the events are : the capture of the 
tribes ; Babylonian captivity ; and the return 
of the Jews. Constant reviews keep the names 
and events of each period fresh in mind. 



CHAPTER IX > 

COMMITTEES AT WOEK 

The PEAYEE-MEETiisra Committee 
The superintendent should attend every 
meeting of the prayer-meeting committee, one 
of the most important in the society. He 
should encourage the members to plan the 
meetings, making suggestions only when abso- 
lutely necessary. The scope of the committee's 
activity is the same as in the Young People's 
society, so that all the helps suitable for that 
society may easily be adapted to Intermediate 
work. The members should be encouraged to 
scan the pages of The Christian Endeavor 
World for such helps, and to make use of that 
paper in preparing for any given topic. 

The committee wiU, of course, prepare topic- 
cards, and see that every member gets one. 
This is a small item, but it gives individuality 
to a society to have its own cards, and the 
members appreciate it. 

^ When any piece of work suggested in this or succeeding 
chapters seems to duplicate work done by the Yonng People's 
society, the superintendent should arrange with the Young 
People's society so that duplication may be avoided. For 
instance, the flower committees of the Young People's and 
Intermediate societies should supplement each other rather 
than conflict in their work. 

99 



100 THE INTERMEDIATE IVIANUAL 

Again, the conurdttee will appoint leaders, 
and the members will stand ready to lead the 
meeting, should a leader fail to appear. A so- 
ciety copy of Tfie Christian Endeavor 'World 
is a necessity, and the chairman of the prayer- 
meeting committee should see that this copy is 
placed in the hands of the leaders weU in ad- 
vance of the meeting. 

Plais'xi^'g the Meetiin-gs 

Every meeting should contain a surprise, and 
should be different, in some respect, from the 
previous meeting. If the committee members 
are supplied with Professor Wells's book, 
"' Prayer-Meeting Methods," which may be se- 
cured from the United Society of Christian 
Endeavor, Tremont Temple, Boston, Mass., for 
thirty-five cents, there will be no dearth of 
ideas for novel and interesting meetings. 

A superintendent in California says that they 
have arranged some novel meetings, each dif- 
ferent from the other. Here is the list : 

A Ja^Jc^d^ -lantern meeting in which a great 
Christian Endeavor monogram in red and white, 
the Christian Endeavor colors, was used. This 
lantern was used again on the Fourth of July 
with the addition of some blue stars on the 
white background. 

A convention meeting for the benefit of those 
that could not attend the State convention. 



PRAYER-MEETING COMMITTEE 101 

This meeting was held during the time of the 
convention, and the music and talks and every 
part of the meeting carried out, as far as possi- 
ble, the convention spirit. 

A wire meeting, at which ten-word telegrams 
were written to the pastor, who was on his va- 
cation, to the ruling elder of the church, and to 
members who had been absent from three con- 
secutive meetings. 

A shower meeting, at which each member was 
asked to give at least five favorite Bible verses, 
each participant being followed immediately by 
another. Songs about showers were sung, and 
a shower of gifts for a children's hospital was 
presented. 

A pause meeting, in which pauses were con- 
spicuous by their absence. A well-equipped 
pause committee, appointed several weeks be- 
fore the meeting, helped to make this meeting 
successful. 

A special sing, the sole purpose of which was 
to give an opportunity to sing to their hearts' 
content. A good opportunity to make the ac- 
quaintance of new hymns. 

A dehate meeting, the subject, home and for- 
eign missions, being treated by two well-pre- 
pared sides. Much information was gained by 
the society as to the needs of both fields. 

A motto meeting for the purpose of calling at- 
tention to the mottoes of the United Society of 



102 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

Christian Endeavor, the State union, the county 
union, and the city union. 

A work meeting was held at the beginning of 
the school year. The pure joy of hard work 
was emphasized, and especially the joy of work- 
ing for Christ. 

Many other novel meetings may be arranged 
to correspond with the topic, as, for example, a 
printer's meeting, for the topic, " Reading That 
Is Worth While." Of course the regular Chris- 
tian Endeavor topic is always used, and these 
subtitles are used simply to prevent stereotyped 
meetings and to arouse curiosity as to just what 
will be done at the meeting. 

A gramophone meeting in another society 
proved a great success. Records of gospel 
hymns were used. An enterprising leader se- 
cured from the Victor Gramophone Company, 
Camden, N. J., a record of a short speech made 
by Dr. Francis E. Clark, and used it at their 
meeting. 

WOEK WITH THE MeMBEES 

The efficient prayer-meeting committee will 
find a large field of work among the members. 
On it rests the responsibility of getting the 
members to take part in the meeting. Some 
superintendents have no difficulty in getting the 
girls to participate, but fail to make the boys 
break silence. Others, again, maintain that the 



PRAYER-MEETING COMMITTEE 103 

young people of both sexes are quite as ready 
to take part in the meeting as are the members 
of the Young People's society. Probably the 
same problems must be faced in both societies. 

How shall we attack this problem in the In- 
termediate society? One superintendent re- 
plies that he has solved it by giving to the 
members questions to be answered in the meet- 
ing. Another finds that an informal discussion 
of the topic yields better results than short 
talks, and far more express their opinions in 
this way. StiU another finds that sentence 
prayers following the treatment of the topic 
help many to break down the fears of the mem- 
bers, for the topic has aroused some thought or 
other which they can express in a single sen- 
tence in the form of a desire. 

A pause committee, suggested above, may set 
a good example by filling in pauses that are 
likely to kill a meeting. A very efficient so- 
ciety appointed a timekeeper to see how much 
time was lost by the members' not taking part 
promptly, and not coming to the meeting on 
time. At the end of the first month the time- 
keeper reported that, while only a few minutes 
had been lost because of pauses during the meet- 
ing, more than eight hours in the aggregate 
had been lost by members' coming late. 

The members of the prayer-meeting commit- 
tee may assign among themselves the names of 



104 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

younger and timid Intermediates, so that each 
member of the committee becomes responsible 
for one or two of them. He will visit those 
assigned to him, encourage them to take part, 
suggest simple things that they may do, and 
help them to do these. He can begin by giving 
a timid member a clipping and ask him to read 
it. After this has been done a few times he 
may suggest that the clipping be memorized 
and spoken. After this has grown more or less 
familiar it may be suggested that the member 
master the thought contained in the clipping, 
and give the thought in his own words. It 
will then be easy to get the member to read a 
verse of Scripture and add just a single sen- 
tence of his own, or to take part in a sentence 
prayer. 

The superintendent should have a well-marked 
plan like the above to suggest to the members 
of the prayer-meeting committee for their per- 
sonal work among the members. At the com- 
mittee meetings reports of progress should be 
made. A committee that really gets down 
to business in this way is sure to succeed, 
and the effect of its work will be felt in the 
society. 

A PuEPOSE Caed 
Distribute among the members a card like 
the following : 



PRAYER-MEETING COMMITTEE 105 

" / Am Willing 

" To offer prayer in the Christian Endeavor 
meeting if called upon. 

" To join in sentence prayers. 

" As a rule, to add something of my own, if 
only a sentence, to what I may read in the 
meeting. 

" To lead a meeting. 

"To lead a meeting along with some one 
else. 

" I wish to become a Comrade of the Quiet 
Hour. 

" Let the members check off the points that 
express their willingness, and hand the cards 
to 'the president." 

These cards might well be distributed every 
three months, and the members may be urged 
to take new responsibilities upon them, since 
growth is the law of life. 



A Standaed 

In the ideal society, which, of course, does 
not exist, even if it ought to, every member 
would be prepared to take part in every meet- 
ing, adding something of his own in addition 
to a verse of Scripture or to a clipping read, if 
such are used. 

Every member, moreover, would be a Com- 
rade of the Quiet Hour, since the strength of 
a society may be measured by the depth of the 



106 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

members' spiritual life, and this can best be fed 
by private devotion. 

Again, every member would be willing to 
lead the meeting either alone or together mth 
some one else. 

And at the consecration-meeting each one 
would answer at roll-call, or send a greeting if 
obliged to be absent. These meetings would 
always vary, and the method of calling the roll 
would rarely be twice alike. 

In the ideal society the members would en- 
courage the weaker and younger members to 
take part ; no one would ever be criticised, and 
no one would ever feel ashamed. 

Furthermore, in the ideal society the prayer- 
meeting committee will meet with the leaders 
and help them to plan their meetings. This 
need not take so much time as would appear 
necessary. It means that one hour a month 
should be given to the work. All the leaders 
for the coming month will attend this meeting, 
and their meetings will be planned one after 
the other. 

Seemon Repoets 
Interest will be aroused if the committee ap- 
points each week three or four members of the 
society to report just one thought from the pas- 
tor's Sunday-morning sermon. This thought 
will not always be in keeping with the topic, of 



PEAYER-MEETING COMMITTEE 107 

course, but the duty of reporting something will 
exercise the judgment of the reporters and give 
them practice in expressing their thought. 



Peayer Circles 
This committee should take the lead in 
organizing prayer cycles wherever possible. 
Each circle should consist of about three mem- 
bers, and the membership of circles should not 
be made public. One or two circles are enough 
to start with. The circles meet for prayer for 
definite objects, and they keep on praying until 
the answer comes. Some circles keep a prayer 
calendar, praying for certain members of the 
society, or for outsiders whom they wish to draw 
into Christian Endeavor fellowship. When it 
seems likely to help, new members are asked 
to join the circles ; but, when a circle doubles 
its membership, it usually divides into two, and 
the process of growth begins again. These 
circles have been a great blessing in Calif ornian 
societies. 

Pre-Peayee Seevice 
The pre-prayer service is a prayer-meeting 
held in an adjoining room five minutes before 
the hour of the regular prayer-meeting, and it 
is open to all. The prayer-meeting committee 
will, of course, be present, the leader of the 



108 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

meeting, and others that are interested. This 
brief moment of communion with God, when 
aU take part, each in a brief prayer, is often a 
source of strength and blessing. 



CHAPTEE X 

COMMITTEES AT WOEK 

The Lookout Committee 
The Intermediate society should prepare its 
members for graduation into the Young Peo- 
ple's society by training them in committee 
work similar to that followed in the older so- 
ciety. The chairman of each committee should 
have a committee scrap-book, the property of 
the committee, in whose pages he should write 
or paste any suggestive plans that he comes 
across. He should also possess — indeed, the 
society should furnish him with — a copy of 
some book or leaflet dealing with the work of 
his committee. It is a good plan to let both 
scrap-book and other committee helps circulate 
among the members, so that all may be inter- 
ested in suggesting new plans, and all may gain 
a clear idea of what is expected of the commit- 
tee. The United Society of Christian Endeavor 
issues helps of all kinds for committee work. 

The superintendent will, of course, supervise 
the committee work, making sure that the chair- 
men understand what is expected of them. 
Some committees will be able, after a while, to 
work more or less alone ; but others will need 
109 



110 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

careful attention all the time. For example, 
the prayer-meeting committee. Good prayer- 
meetings do not happen. They must be planned. 
It is true that the Intermediates will do a pro- 
digious amount of planning, but there are times 
when they need help and wise suggestions. 
The superintendent should attend all the com- 
mittee meetings that this committee holds, ready 
to help in any way. This holds true of the 
important committees like the lookout com- 
mittee, the missionary, and so on. 

The Lookout Committee 
This committee should always be alert to 
bring in new members. Some suggestions as to 
methods employed may be helpful. 

An Inyitatioist 
A card of invitation urging young people to 
attend the Intermediate society may be prepared 
and distributed by the members among friends, 
in church, in Sunday-school, and elsewhere. 

Personal Invitations 
The lookout committee may survey the 
ground and make a list of names of possible 
new members. One or two of these names are 
then assigned to each committee member, who 
is requested to call on the young people and 



LOOKOUT COMMITTEE 111 

report back to the committee at its next meet- 
ing. Some societies use a report-card which is 
filled out and returned at once to the chairman 
of the committee. The card reads ; 



"Will you kindly try to bring John Doe, 
15 Tremont Street, to the Intermediate society ? 
As soon as you have tried will you kindly re- 
port on the back of this card, and hand it to 
me? 

" (Signed) James Jones, 

" Chairman of the Lookout Committee" 



Where these cards are used, the chairman 
assigns the names of those he wishes visited, 
and reports are made at once instead of waiting 
until the next committee meeting. 

Sealed Orders 

The committee may enlist the help of every 
member in the society in securing new members. 
This has the advantage of increasing interest by 
increasing the number of workers. At the 
regular meeting of the society every member is 
given a sealed envelope containing the name of 
some one whom the member is asked to visit 
and invite to the meeting. A report-card similar 
to the one above given may be supplied, along 
with the name of the person to be visited. 

At the next meeting similar envelopes are 



112 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

given out containing the same names, which, 
however, are given to different members. Thus 
John Doe, let us saj, is invited by A to attend 
the Intermediate meeting. Next week he is 
invited by B. The third week he also receives 
an invitation, this time from C, and so on. 
This plan, which persistently keeps at prospec- 
tive members, often results in their joining the 
society. A great many people wait until they 
are asked to join, you know. 

Membership Contests 
The simplest form of contest is to divide the 

society into two sides, the reds and the blues, 
and let each side strive to win as many members 
as possible. A contest for membership alone, 
however, is hardly worth while. The important 
matter is not to get new names on the roll, but 
new people to attend the meetings. So attend- 
ance should be added to membership, and points 
given for that. Thus points may be given 
somewhat in this fashion : 

For each new member - - 10 points 

For each visitor - - - 2 ^' 

For each member present - 1 point 
For each member taking part in 

prayer 2 points 

For each member taking part by 

speaking - - - - 2 "' 
For each member reading an ex- 
tract from book or paper - 1 point 



LOOKOUT COMMITTEE 113 

As each member takes part, the captam of 
his side will make a record of the fact, and 
place the number of points gained opposite 
the name of that member. At the end of 
three months, or whatever time is agreed 
upon, the total points won by each side is 
counted, and the losers give the winners a ban- 
quet. 

This programme can be varied in endless 
ways. 

In one society each member was supplied 
with a card on which he kept his own record 
for each month. On the card were printed the 
items for which credits were given, and the 
number of credits for each ; and opposite each 
item were five spaces in which the member 
wrote the number of points gained each week. 
From these cards the secretary of the society 
reckoned the count of each side. 

One society divided into two sides, and then 
each side subdivided itself into squads of five. 
Each squad worked for new members ; and, 
when one was gained, he was added to the squad 
that introduced him. 

Another variation of this contest plan is a 
trip to Japan or any other country. The items 
and their credits are first of all made out. Then 
the distance, in miles, to Japan, or to the desti- 
nation of the society, is fixed. The society has 
of course been divided into two companies, each 



114 THE i:n"teemediate manual 

with a name ; and the contest is to see which 
covers the distance first, one credit counting 
one mile. 

Both on sea and land travellers are liable to 
be wrecked. So wrecks may be introduced 
into this contest. For example, a rule may be 
made to the effect that, if one of the sides has 
fewer members present at a given meeting than 
were present at the previous meeting, this shall 
be considered a wreck, and a number of credits 
corresponding to the number of absent mem- 
bers shall be subtracted from the record of that 
side. 

Some have applied this principle to an aero- 
plane race, adding interest by having a model 
aeroplane, decorated with the side's colors, for 
each side. A race between an aeroplane and a 
balloon is sure to interest. 

In membership contests the sides have been 
organized as "searching parties." They may 
be scouts or anything that will appeal to the 
imagination of the young people. 

It is a good rule to insist that all persons 
wishing to join the society attend at least four 
consecutive meetings before their application 
for membership is considered. Intermediates 
will take the society at the superintendent's 
valuation. If he magnifies it, they will do so, 
too. A Tvle of this kind, rigidly enforced, will 
surely result in a good attendance. 



LOOKOUT COMMITTEE 115 

Chukch- Attendance Contest 
A live society had a contest to see which side 
could get most people to come to church. The 
Intermediates not only came themselves, but 
brought hosts of friends and acquaintances. 
Each person invited by an Intermediate counted 
one point, provided they attended the church 
service. Children under twelve didn't count, 
however. 

Old Folks' Day 
If an Old Folks' Day be tried one year, it 
will become an institution. The members 
specially invite those old people that can come 
to church unaided, while carriages or automo- 
biles are hired or borrowed for those that are 
unable to walk. It is astonishing how many 
owners of automobiles will gladly lend them 
for such a time as this. 

In the Hotels 
The Intermediates can offer their services to 
the pastor or church officers to distribute cards 
in hotels, boarding-houses, railroad depots, and 
so forth, inviting travellers, lodgers, visitors, 
everybody, to come to the church services. 
The lookout committee may also take the lead 
in a survey of the church or district if the pastor 
wishes such work done. Every member of the 
society will surely stand ready to help. 



116 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

The Steangee 

The lookout cominittee is not only on duty at 
the Intermediate meeting. It can be on the 
lookout for new members at church. It can 
keep watch for newcomers and be ready with a 
hearty invitation to attend the Intermediate 
society. 

Associate Membees 

The lookout committee should constantly 
seek to increase the list of associate members, 
and to see that these members are approached, 
at least once a year, if not oftener, and urged 
to enter active membership. The associates 
should be put on committees such as the 
flower committee, pastor's aid, information, 
good-literature, citizenship, temperance, and 
missionary. 

Peesonal Woek 

The Intermediates may be organized into 
personal workers' bands for the study of evan- 
gelism, for training, consultation, and for prayer. 
Not all will join this band; but some will, 
and they will become the best workers. Inter- 
mediates will do personal evangelistic work in 
their own effective way, and they are not 
too young to be taught how to lead souls to 
Christ. 



LOOKOUT COMMITTEE 117 

Keeping a Eecord 
"Whenever a record of attendance or of the 
participation of the members in the meeting is 
to be kept (ard both will be kept in every well- 
regulated society), the work is in charge of the 
lookout committee. In the case of a contest, 
of course, the record will be kept by the two 
sides. Some societies have found it inspiring 
to keep a record of the attendance of Inter- 
mediates at church and at the midweek prayer- 
meeting, reporting the number for each week at 
the end of the month. 

The Midweek Meeting 
The lookout committee may divide the society 
into four parts, and assign to each band one 
church prayer-meeting to attend in the month. 
In this way the entire society serves once a 
month. 

Contest for a Christian Endeavor Pin 
This contest, tried in a Chicago society, for 
an Intermediate Christian Endeavor pin, will 
give an idea as to how points for such a contest 
may be arranged. The contest opened May 1, 
and closed in the middle of June. Longer time, 
of course, may be given to it. All regular 
attenders were privileged to try, and the person 
that secured the largest number of marks won 
the pin. 



118 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

Attendance at each, regular meeting of 

the society - - ... 5 points 

Attendance at each social or business 

meeting 5 " 

Bringing a new visitor, eligible for 

membership, to the Sunday meeting 10 " 

Beading Matthew - - - - 10 " 

Mark 10 " 

Luke 10 ** 

John 10 '' 

Acts 10 " 

Heroes of Modern Missions 

(Chipman) - - - • 10 <* 
Men of Mark in Modern Mis- 

sions (Grose) - - - 10 " 

Servants of the King (Speer) 15 *' 
Stewardship and Missions 

(Cook) - - - - 15 <* 
Any other missionary book, 

150 pages or more - - 15 ** 



Holding Membees 

It is quite as important to hold members as 
it is to win them, and this work also falls to the 
lookout committee. 

The lookout committee should have a secre- 
tary as well as a chairman. The duty of the 
secretary is to keep a record of absentees, for 
waning interest is usually marked by absence 
from the regular meeting of the society. If the 
lookout secretary keeps a special roll for the use 
of this committee, marking the attendance every 
week, he will be able to tell at a glance what 
members need the attention of the committee. 



LOOKOUT COMMITTEE 119 

The secretary will then distribute the names 
of absentees among the members of the com- 
mittee, asking the members to call on the indi- 
viduals whose names have been handed to them. 

A visit to the home of an Intermediate means 
not a little, and a kindly personal invitation to 
attend the regular meeting is often effectual. 
A good deal of tact must be used on such visits, 
and the most tactful members of the society 
should be placed on this committee. 

When a visit is not possible, a special written 
invitation to attend the next meeting of the so- 
ciety is the next best thing to do. In such cases 
be sparing with rebukes. Kemember the words 
of the apostle Paul, " Love never faileth." 



CHAPTEE XI 

COMMITTEES AT WOEK 

The Missionary Committee 
The chairman of the missionary committee 
must be constantly reminded to keep in touch 
with the missionary board of. his denomination 
and ask for whatever helps and suggestions for 
the topics are published. Since a successful 
missionary meeting requires not only careful 
planning, but also careful preparation, each 
meeting should be planned at least a month in 
advance. The members of the committee must 
study the topic themselves and be ready to take 
part, and they must do their utmost to get oth- 
ers to promise to participate in the meeting, 
suggesting things that each may do. 

Mission Study 
The committee will do weU to organize a 
mission-study class, using as a text-book one of 
the many volumes issued for this purpose. The 
first thing to do is to secure a teacher for the 
class. For Intermediates the very best teacher 
procurable should be secured. Perhaps the 
pastor may undertake the work ; if not, he may 
be able to suggest a good leader. Or the local 
120 



MISSIONARY COMMITTEE 121 

Christian Endeavor union may be able to supply 
one. 

The members of the committee should form 
the nucleus of the class, and each member 
ought to try to bring another with him. A 
class of ten is a good size. The more Inter- 
mediates that can be brought into such classes, 
the more interest will there be in missionary 
work, and the better will be the missionary 
meetings. 

MissiONAEY Giving 

Since people support only causes that appeal 
to them, the best way to increase the mission- 
ary offerings of the society is to disseminate 
information on missionary topics ; and the mis- 
sion-study class is one way of doing this effectu- 
ally. It has been proved many times that, 
when a society has a definite object toward 
which its money goes, it is comparatively easy 
to secure the funds. Thus some societies have 
undertaken to support an orphan in some mis- 
sion land, or to support a student at some mis- 
sion school, or to pay part of the salary of some 
worker. In these cases regular reports from 
the field are made to the society, which is thus 
continually kept in touch. 

Again, a missionary-reading contest is likely 
to increase interest in missions and so swell 
missionary receipts. A small prize may be 



122 THE lyTEEMEDIATE MANUAL 

given to the member that reads and reports in- 
telligently on the lai'gest number of missionary 
books in a given time. The size of the books 
should be taken into consideration, of course. 
Prizes shoidd not be very valuable, or envy 
may restdt. 

It has been foimd helpfid for the society to 
fix, at the beginning of the financial year, a 
definite sum which it will give to home and 
foreign missions ; then for the committee to 
plan for the raising of this amount ia a sys- 
tematic manner. Perhaps the very best way 
to raise missionary money is to adopt the en- 
velope system. Small gifts regidarly made 
very soon mount up. 

The responsibilities of stewardship ought to 
be emphasized by the missionary committee, 
since training in missionary giving is an essen- 
tial part of a yotmg person's Christian educa- 
tion. Pledges may be taken from the members 
to cover the expenses of the society and for 
missions, and duplex envelopes may be used for 
this purpose. Here is a card that has done 
good service in a Chicago society : 



''For the work of the Intermediate society of 
Christian Endeavor of the Third Congregational 
Church. Oak Park, HI., for the current year I 
will contribute 

cents each week for cmrent expenses, and 

cents each week for benefactions. 



MISSIONARY COMMITTEE 123 

'*It is understood that this pledge becomes 
void for the balance of the year in case of my 
removal, or in case of my putting into the hands 
of the superintendent a written notice of cancella- 
tion. 

"Name 

"Street no 

"Date " 

The two sides of the duplex envelope read as 
follows : 



"Let every one of yon 
(individually) lay by him 
in store on the first day of 
the week (systematically) as 
God hath prospered him 
(proportionately).^^ — 1 Cor. 
16:2. 

Current Expenses 

Intermediate Society of 

Christian Endeavor 

Third Congregational Church 

Oak Park, HI. 



This side for ourselves. 



" Bring an offering, and 
come into his courts." — 
Ps. 96 : 8. 



Benefactions 

for 

The ExtenMon of the 

Kingdom 



This side for others. 



The left-hand side is printed in black, the 
right-hand side in red. 



Missionary Plat^^s 

The Intermediates should be led to study the 
mission fields of ^.heir denomination and to 
pray for the missionaries in these and other 
fields. The Chicago society above referred to 



124 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

publishes quarterly for its members a prayer 
calendar in connection with its prayer-meeting 
topics. A brief example will show how the 
calendar is arranged. The first topic of the 
quarter is " Missions in China," and the topic 
suggested for prayer for the first Sunday is 
"Chicago's Representatives in China." Then 
follows : 

^^ North China Mission 

^'Monday, Sept. 4. Mrs. Mary P. Ament, Pekin 
Work for Women. 1877. 
Miss Isabelle Phelps, Pao 
tlng-fu. Evangelistic work 
1910. 

Tuesday, Sept. 5. Miss Jessie E. Payne, Pekin, 
Principal of girls' boarding 
school. 1904. 

Miss Mary H. Porter, Pekin 
Principal of women's train 
ing-school. 1868." 

In this way the workers in this North China 
mission are gone over one by one, after which 
the workers in the Shansi mission, the Foochow 
mission, and the South China mission, are men- 
tioned, the date when each worker entered upon 
his or her field being given, and the kind of 
work in which they are engaged. 

Then missions in India are taken up in the 
same way, then Turkey, and so on. In this 
way the Intermediates, who engage each day 
to remember these workers in prayer, are made 



MISSIONAKY COMMITTEE 125 

familiar with the names of the missionaries and 
with their work. A prayer calendar may be 
arranged by the superintendent, or by the mis- 
sionary committee with his aid, from the list of 
missionaries that each denomination will gladly 
provide. 

MissioisTAEY Meetings 
The simplest kind of missionary meeting is 
to have the missionary committee study the 
topic and assign to each one a two-minute talk 
on some aspect of it. Besides this, have the 
committee prepare a set of questions to which 
replies must be made in figures, such as the 
population of the country under discussion, the 
year when the first missionary went forth, the 
number of church-members, the number of 
heathen, and so forth. At the meeting slips 
with these numbers written on them are dis- 
tributed among the audience. 

After the usual exercises the leader may open 
with a brief talk. He may ask a question of 
one committee member, who in answering it 
will give his talk. The leader may then put a 
question to the audience, calling for a reply in 
numbers ; and he will then ask whoever thinks 
he has the proper answer on his slip to read it. 
This makes everybody take notice. Mistakes 
and quaint guesses at the right answer will be 
made. Then other members of the committee 



126 THE rS'TERMEDIATE :MAXUAL 

will take pait, and opportanity will be given to 
all the Intermediates to pai^ticipate. A few 
questions, distributed a week beforehand, will 
be found helpful in suggesting topics for others 
to study and speak on. 

A Sale of Peaels 
A touch of color may be introduced occasion- 
ally if some of those that take part are in cos- 
tume. One society tried a sale of pearls. A 
member, dressed as a Buddhist, entered, and 
tried to sell to one of his audience the pearl of 
Buddhism. He ex}Dlained the system, bringing 
out its good points, while the one whom he ad- 
dressed raised objections from the Christian 
standpoint. Then came a Mohammedan with 
his pearl, and representatives of the various 
heathen religions. Finally came a Christian 
with the pearl of great price, which was ad- 
judged worthy of purchase. 

D^FFEEE^'T XixDS OF Meetings 

1. A missionary debate. Two tCEims should 
be appointed to conduct this, each team under 
a captain. 

2. A missionary camp-fire, as realistic as 
possible. Electric bulbs, covered with red 
paper and placed under a few fagots, will 
make an excellent imitation of a fire. The 



MISSIONARY COMMITTEE 127 

meeting must be plamied beforehand, and each 
member should have a " gun " to fire. 

3. An extract meeting, at which the mem- 
bers give extracts from the works or letters of 
missionaries, or recount their experiences. 

4. A memorial meeting in honor of mission- 
ary martyrs cannot fail to interest Intermediates. 
To make it successful, assign the name of a 
martyred missionary to each member, and tell 
him or her where to find an account of the 
missionary's life. Each member will relate 
very briefly the story of his hero and draw one 
impressive lesson from his life. 

5. A camera meeting, at which pictures of 
mission fields and work are shown in connection 
with brief talks. Each member should, of 
course, be asked to bring a picture. The mis- 
sionary magazines supply a plenty. 

6. A medical meeting, when the work of 
medical missionaries is described. The field is 
very wide, and there is no lack of material for 
such a meeting. Assign to different members 
the various fields, and suggest books to read on 
the topic. 

7. A missionary quiz is an excellent way to 
impart knowledge. A list of questions should 
be prepared dealing with every phase of mis- 
sionary work, about missionary countries, the 
number of inhabitants in them, about the various 
religions, about the missionary boards engaged 



128 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

in the various fields, about great missionaries, 
about the missionaries of the denomination, 
about missionary giving, and so on. The replies 
to these questions may be written on slips of 
paper and distributed among the members. As 
the questions are asked by the leader, each 
member will, of course, be forced to keep in 
mind the reply on his slip to see whether it fits 
the query. 

8. A missionary-newspaper meeting. Two 
editors are appointed a month or more in ad- 
vance of this meeting. They make out a table 
of contents for the paper they wish to get out, 
and secure contributions in accordance with this 
plan from the members of the society. Suppose 
the topic is Japan, the contents of the newspaper 
might be as follows: Two editorials; Ancient 
Japan ; When Christ First Came to Japan ; The 
New Era in Japan ; What Missions Have Done 
for Japan ; Neesima ; Japan To-day ; Things I 
Saw in Japan ; Missions in Japan ; Search-lights 
(brief paragraphs about Japan and missions) ; a 
poem. At the meeting the editors may ask the 
authors each to read their own compositions, or 
may read them themselves, turn about. 

Schemes for missionary meetings are simply 
endless, and this dullest of meetings may be 
made bright by means of a little thought. One 
might have a missionary biography meeting, a 
meeting that would describe the work of women 



MISSIONAKY COMMITTEE 129 

in mission fields, a miracle meeting that would 
tell the thrilling story of the conversion of 
heathen tribes, an impersonation meeting, 
when the speakers would appear in costume, 
a missionary news-box, a question-box, and so 
on. 

"Whenever possible, secure the services of a 
returned missionary to address the Intermedi- 
ates. Almost everywhere in cities Student 
Volunteers are to be found who are eager to 
address missionary gatherings. They are young 
men ready themselves to go to the mission field, 
and they are sure to impart some of their 
enthusiasm to Intermediates. 

Each member of the missionary committee 
should keep a scrap-book, and never lose an 
opportunity to write in, or paste in, new 
missionary plans. The members should also 
have books like " The Missionary Manual," by 
Professor Amos E. Wells, and " Fuel for Mission- 
ary Fires," by Belle M. Brain, both published 
by the United Society of Christian Endeavor, 
Tremont Temple, Boston, Mass. Use should 
also be made of the missionary exercises issued 
by the United Society at ten cents each. 

A prize consisting of a Christian Endeavor 
book or a Christian Endeavor pin offered for 
the best essay on a given missionary topic, the 
society to be judge, or, if the number of essays 
is too great, the missionary committee or the 



130 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

pastor to judge which is best, will supply a 
fresh impulse. 

The missionary committee may make itself felt 
not only on nights when the missionary topics 
are studied, but all through the month, by or- 
ganizing as an information committee and giv- 
ing at least one missionary item at each meeting 
of the society. 

If each member will promise to collect as 
many cents as he is years old, and give this 
amount for missions on his birthday, a nice 
little sum will be realized. 

The missionary meeting will be brightened if 
the committee collect pictures and curios from 
mission lands and have a missionary exhibition 
bearing on the topic. 

Try a club of Intermediates, each member of 
which promises to read a missionary book for 
fifteen minutes each day for a month. 

Finally, devise new plans yourself. Have 
something new at every meeting, and the 
missionary meeting will be the best of all 
meetings. 



CHAPTEE XII 
COMMITTEES AT WOEK 

The Social Committee 

Cheistiat^ EisTDEAYOE aims at the develop- 
ment of the whole boy or girl, and not of a 
part of his or her nature. The Intermediate 
prayer-meeting will take care of the religious 
instincts, and the work outlined in committees 
will provide that activity and usefulness for 
which every young person craves ; but some- 
thing must be done for the awakening social 
instinct, which often finds satisfaction in dance- 
hall or party. 

Some leaders of thought, especially in rural 
districts, are urging the addition of a play-hour 
to the Sunday-school service. Where it has 
been tried, the attendance has materially in- 
creased, and better order is maintained in the 
Sunday-school because those that misbehave 
are punished by being excluded from the games 
following. Whatever may be thought of this 
on the Sabbath-day (and it will certainly rasp 
in the minds of many), the idea of conducting 
play-hours under the leadership of the church is 
131 



132 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

a good one. Such hours need not, of course, 
fall on Sunday at all. 

A society in New York, which has its regular 
Christian Endeavor meeting on Sunday evenings, 
has a weekly social on Friday nights, which 
attracts many young people and their friends, 
besides strangers. A social every week may 
seem too much, but under proper leadership 
it might prove a great boon to Intermediates. 
Elaborate preparations need not be made for 
every social ; a simple programme of singing 
and clean games is enough. It is time that the 
church took a hand in the social Hf e of its young 
people, and the Intermediate society provides a 
starting-point. 

The social committee must be supplied with 
books that describe games and social entertain- 
ments. Professor Wells's book, "Social to 
Save," and another little volume entitled 
"Eighty Pleasant Evenings," both published by 
the United Society of Christian Endeavor, Tre- 
mont Temple, Boston, Mass., at thirty-five cents 
each, contain material for many a successful so- 
cial. The committee members should keep scrap- 
books, and carefully watch the pages of The 
Christian Endeavor Worlds The Ladies^ Home 
Journal^ and other papers, for plans for practical 
socials. The superintendent will try to be present 
at every meeting of the social committee, and 
plans adopted in his absence should be sub- 



SOCIAL COMMITTEE 133 

mitted to him for his approval and for sug- 
gestions. 

A Bell Social 
Cards inviting to this social should be cut in 
the shape of bells, and should announce that both 
bells and belles are wanted at a certain time and 
place. Each person attending should be requested 
to bring a bell — any kind of bell — electric bell, 
cow-bell, hand-bell, alarm-bell, large or small 
bell. At the social each bell must tell its ex- 
perience, its uses, and suggest a lesson. Songs 
and music should be connected in some way 
with bells ; and, if cake or ice-cream is served, 
the bell shape is appropriate. 

A Police Social 
The invitation is a summons, and contains 
the information that a policeman will be sent to 
fetch every one that will not come voluntarily. 
At the door the guests are met by a police of- 
ficer who escorts them into the cloak-room, 
where witty signs adorn the walls. Then the 
friendly policeman ushers the guests into a large 
hall where notices are posted in conspicuous 
places. "Keep off the grass." On the wood- 
box, " To be used in case of fire." On the ceil- 
ing, a big red sign, " Any one staring at the 
ceiling will be committed to the asylum." 
When one stops in front of the sign reading, 



134: THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

" Notice. Do not look at this sign," a police- 
man pounces upon him, and hales him off to be 
tried. The judge severely questions the ac- 
cused, who is obliged to defend his own case. 
The guilty are made to stand in the rogues' 
gallery and listen to the flattering remarks of 
sightseers. 

Advertising Social 
Each one that comes to this social is expected 
to advertise his or her business. The guests are 
asked beforehand to personate representatives of 
various trades and professions. Lawyers, doc- 
tors, preachers, artists, bookkeepers, smiths, 
mechanics, salesgirls, housewives, and so forth, 
talk up their work, using all the wit and in- 
genuity of which they are capable to make out 
a good case. 

Old-Time Social 
An old-time social should be held in costume ; 
and, if real costumes cannot be procured, imita- 
tion dresses may be made from paper. Old-time 
poems should be read, old-time songs sung ; and 
everything should be done in the style of by- 
gone days, including the courtly manners of our 
forefathers. Historical charades and tableaux 
may be introduced. A good old-fashioned 
spelling-bee will be in place. 



SOCIAL COMMITTEE 136 

Handkerchief-Bazaae 
An Oklahoma society made $250 by means 
of a handkerchief -bazaar. The invitations were 
a rhymed announcement of the bazaar and its 
purpose, and the closing stanza read : 

^^ So this, then, is our plea in brief : 
To aid our enterprise 
We beg of you a handkerchief 
Of any kind or size. '' 

A shoal of handkerchiefs came in and were 
sold at the bazaar. 

An Athletic "Meet" 

The guests at a IS'ebraska society's social were 
all tagged with small college emblems. There 
were six emblems, a small paper football, an oar, 
a baseball bat, a pennant, a tennis-racket, and 
a running-shoe. These separated the company 
into groups, all those mth the same emblem 
holding together. 

The programme was a thirty-inch dash, ham- 
mer-throw, shot-put, standing broad grin, and 
relay race. 

For each of the first four events each college 
was requested to send out three representatives ; 
for the last event the winners of the former 
events were chosen. 

For the thirty-inch dash pieces of string 
thirty inches long, with a luscious marshmallow 



136 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

attached to the end, were prepared. The free 
end of the strings was placed between the teeth 
of the contestants, who were requu'ed to race 
for the marshmallow, using only lips and teeth. 
Judges kept record. 

For the hammer-throw a paper bag was in- 
flated and tied with a string, the teams trying 
to throw it as far as possible. The shot-put 
meant that each contestant was to drop ten 
beans into quart jars ranged along the floor. 
The participants toed a line and threw the beans 
into the jars. After this the " standing broad 
grin was easy." The grins were measured, and 
the broadest won. 

The relay race was run by the groups of vic- 
tors. Each group was ranged in a row, each 
member being provided with a dry soda-cracker. 
At a given signal the first man in each group 
began to eat his cracker. When he finished, he 
held up his hand and opened his mouth, and 
number two in his group began, and so on. 

The winners of all events were announced 
through a megaphone, and a shaving-mug was 
given to one of them instead of a loving-cup. 

SoAP-BuBBLE Contests 
A soap-bubble party, described in the New 
Yorh Tribune, affords no end of fun, and is 
suitable for any time of the year, as it can be 
held either indoors or outdoors. 



SOCIAL COMMITTEE 137 

Clay pipes gayly decorated with ribbons, two 
of a color, determine partners. To the large 
bowl of soapy water add a tablespoonful of 
glycerine to give beauty of color. The larger 
your bubbles grow, the more lovely are the tints. 

Competition may take many forms, and re- 
wards, of course, must be given to the most suc- 
cessful. Bouquets of flowers make suitable 
awards. 

For " bubble croquet " have a table covered 
with a woollen cloth, and have ribbon-wound 
wickets placed in the right order. Sides are 
taken and each player may blow three bubbles 
at a turn, guiding them through the wickets 
with the aid of small rackets, the kind used for 
pingpong. Cover the wider part with flannel 
or some thin woollen goods. Bubbles will not 
break easily against woollen. Eackets may be 
made of palm-leaf fans cut the required shape 
and covered with the woollen fabric. It counts 
five points every time a bubble is guided through 
a wicket. 

Another game is played on a tennis-court. 
For indoors divide off the room into sides by a 
rope or ribbon stretched across. The girls make 
bubbles, and the boys try to blow them over the 
net, trying also to prevent those of their op- 
ponents from coming over into their domain. 
Each bubble that floats over the net counts fif- 
teen points to the side from which it came. 



138 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

Then there are trials of skill. For these you 
will need a few extra articles — a funnel, a straw, 
a rose or other flower, and a goblet. Place the 
rose on a large pie-plate. Dip your pipe into 
the bubble water ; and, as you take it out, hold 
it over the top of the rose and blow until the 
flower is covered with the bubble ; then lift up 
your pipe, carefully place the funnel on top of 
the bubble, and continue blowing. Blow very 
carefully, and the result will be a rose under an 
exquisite dome. A bubble like this will last at 
least ten minutes. 

Blow a good -sized bubble on top of a goblet, 
insert carefully in the side a straw that has 
been dipped in the solution, and blow off a tiny 
bubble. You can fill the whole interior of the 
big bubble with these small ones that keep 
floating around the inside. 

Another trick with the help of a straw is to 
decorate each finger-tip with a bubble. Dip 
the five fingers into the solution and a drop of 
it will adhere to each one. Place the wet end 
of the straw against each drop in turn and blow 
gently. The result will be a bubble on each 
finger-tip. 

Hold a flower in your hand by its stem, and 
blow a bubble over it with the pipe. The sun- 
flower makes a fine show, and the blower 
should be congratulated on his skill, as it takes 
a big bubble to cover it. 



SOCIAL COMMITTEE 139 

Cupid's Aecheey 

Cupid's archery contest was a winner at a 
Brooklyn social on Valentine's Day. 

Six white hearts were attached to a large red 
heart. The white hearts contained the follow- 
ing inscriptions : 1, Matrimonial Success ; 2, 
Despair ; 3, Hope ; 4, A Proposal ; 5, Five 
Times Wedded ; 6, Bachelorhood or Spinster- 
hood. 

Each player was given a paper arrow with 
a pin at the point. The player was then 
blindfolded, turned in the direction of the 
heart, and asked to jab it with his arrow. 
One can imagine the fun that this created 
among the two hundred young people pres- 
ent. 

The social opened with a debate, after which 
the Endeavorers searched for the ^ve hundred 
and fifty hearts that were hidden in every nook 
and corner of the room. There were two hun- 
dred red hearts, which counted five points each 
to the finders ; three hundred white hearts, 
which counted one point each ; and fifty candy 
hearts, the value and sweetness of which were 
found in the eating. A prize was given to the 
one that made the most points. 

A romance in song was another winning 
feature. A blackboard was placed in front of 
the piano. On the blackboard questions were 
written, and the audience guessed the answers, 



140 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

which were woven into melodies played by the 
pianist. 

Successful Socials 

To handle a crowd of young people there 
must be a live leader, whose main effort must 
be to get the crowd into good humor and make 
everybody acquainted. A social at which a 
young man, for instance, is allowed to sit a 
silent spectator, or to stand in a corner, taking 
no part in the fun, does positive damage to him. 
When it is over, he will go home bitter at heart 
because nobody drew him out, and perhaps be 
mad at himself for being such a fool as not to 
mix with the others. The social committee 
must be impressed with the idea that their first 
and most important duty is to root out wall- 
flowers, male and female, and break up all 
stiffness. 

A hundred schemes may be worked to break 
the ice and set people talking and laughing. 
One way is to distribute a number of picture 
puzzles and tell the guests to find the other 
parts of the pictures. Sometimes each guest 
wears a tag with his or her name ; pencils and 
cards are provided for each ; and the people are 
told that a prize will be given to the one that 
speaks to and secures the signature of the 
greatest number of guests within a given time. 
The prize must be some ludicrous trifle, of 



SOCIAL COMMITTEE 141 

course. At one social the guests were arranged 
in two rows facing each other. To the end 
man of each row was given a plate of peanuts 
(the same number in each plate), and at a 
certain signal the peanuts were passed along 
the row from hand to hand, one at a time, to 
see which side could handle them most ex- 
peditiously. 

A peanut-race is always enjoyed. The run- 
ners carry each a peanut on the point of a knife. 
If the nut is dropped, it must be picked up with 
the knife alone. 

Sometimes the plans for a social harmonize 
so that everything fits into the character of the 
social ; but at other times it is necessary to have 
fillers, little games or stunts to create fun. 
Here are a few suggestions. 

An obstacle-race. At the starting-line the 
contestants must thread a needle. Then they 
run to a chair in the centre of the room, where 
they pick up a dry soda-cracker and eat it. 
Then oif to another chair at the other end of 
the room, where they drink a glass of water. 
Then back to the starting-point. 

A nail-driving contest for girls, each being 
given a certain number of nails and a hammer ; 
a wool- winding contest for boys, using the left 
hand ; a skipping-rope for boys ; a poem parody- 
ing a popular song and making local allusions 
(which must be good-natured and harmless) ; 



142 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

a telegram coatest, ten letters being written on 
the blackboard for the guests to use as the 
initial letters of a ten-word telegram, the 
funnier, the better. 

In handling a large company a contest is a 
good idea. Divide the company into two parts 
on any principle desired. Thus, foreigners may 
be seated on one side of the hall and Americans 
on the other ; or Easterners may sit on the one 
side and Westerners on the other. This done, 
wheel the blackboard, which should be pre- 
pared beforehand, into place, and the contest 
opens. Suppose we have an authors' contest. 
"Write the following sentences on the black- 
board, and ask the sides to solve them, one at a 
time. The side that solves the larger number 
correctly wins. 

1. What you get when you fall into the fire. 

{Burns.) 

2. What is meat doing in the oven? 

{Browning.) 

3. What the Pilgrim Fathers came to this 

country to establish. {Holmes.) 

4. A great spiritual ruler. {Pojoe.) 

5. What women sometimes wear on their 

heads. {Hood.) 

6. A worker in precious metals. {Gold- 

smith.) 

7. What nobody wants on his foot. {Burv- 

yan.) 

8. The seat of the emotions. {Harte.) 



SOCIAL COMMITTEE 143 

Professor Wells makes the following sugges- 
tions for good socials, which may serve as seed 
thoughts : 

A garden party, the social being held out-of- 
doors. 

A soap-bubble social, with contests in blowing 
the bubbles. 

A polar social, devoted to the elucidation of 
explorations in arctic and antarctic regions — 
especially timely. 

An indoor picnic, with decorations that make 
it seem as much outdoors as possible. 

A railroad social, the chairs arranged as in a 
car, the exercises referring to railroads. 

A social held at some private house, where 
the Endeavorers are forced to get closer to- 
gether. 

A State social, whose exercises recall the 
famous men and events of your State history. 

A botanical social, the chief feature of which 
is a contest in naming the leaves of various 
kinds of trees, branches of which are stuck into 
vases. 

A fagot party, each participant being given 
a small fagot, during the burning of which he 
must tell a story. 

A historical social, every one who goes being 
required to wear something that symbolizes a 
famous event. 

A portrait social, the room being hung with 



144 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

pictures of distinguished people, to be named 
by the Endeavorers. 

A joke social, each member repeating the 
brightest anecdote he knows, three judges de- 
ciding on the best. 

A new members' social, for the purpose of 
obtaining new members, a select number of out- 
siders being especially invited. 

A modelling-party, at which the Endeavorers 
model in clay the animals assigned them by lot, 
followed by a contest in guessing the names of 
the animals. 

A proverb social, to which each Endeavorer 
brings two cards, on one the proverb, on the 
other some picture illustrating it. The whole 
are to be strung around the room as the basis 
of a guessing-contest. 

A musical social, bits of music being divided 
into four portions, each set being distributed at 
haphazard. The quartettes thus formed must 
get together and practise, and then sing their 
songs before the company. 

Remember that a good social does not happen. 
It must be planned. See that nothing is left to 
chance. Have a good programme ready and 
carry it out enthusiastically. The Intermediates' 
social hour, if it is properly conducted, may be 
made as much a part of church service as any 
other exercise. 



CHAPTEE XIII 

COMMITTEES AT WOEK 

Flower^ Pastor^ s Aid, Information, Sunday- School, 
Junior, Good Literature, Temperance and 
Good Citizenship, Music, Whatsoever, Delega- 
tion, Publicity 

A FEW words suggesting some lines of work 
for other committees may be permitted. 

The flower committee's work is to decorate 
the church and the meeting-room with flowers, 
which are afterward taken to the sick ; and to 
remember the birthday of members and others 
with a small bouquet. This committee can 
make its work felt if it will mass flowers 
in season ; have a Sunday for daisies, another 
when the main decoration shall be wild flowers, 
another for branches in blossom, and so on. 
The flower committee is often a calling-com- 
mittee, in which case it can prepare a map of 
the city and a list of members' addresses. 

The pastor's aid committee places its mem- 
bers at the disposal of the pastor to run errands 
or do whatever he wishes. 

The information committee is expected to 
present at least one item of interest about 
Christian Endeavor work each week. The 
145 



146 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

Christian Endeavor World supplies abundance 
of material. The committee will, of course, also 
keep in touch with union officers and keep the 
society in touch with what is going on in the 
district. The work may also be extended so 
that the members may be always on the lookout 
for new plans and ideas for work and give the 
information they collect to the respective com- 
mittees to use as they see fit. One new plan a 
month, given to each committee, would make 
for variety in the society. 

The Sunday-school committee may invite 
special classes from the Sunday-school to attend 
the Intermediate meeting. The committee will 
arrange a programme in which the invited class 
has a part. It may try some of the following 
plans suggested by Professor Wells : 

A canvass of the Sunday-school for new 
members of the Christian Endeavor society will 
often produce good results. 

Some Christian Endeavor societies hold Sun- 
day-school socials, to which they invite members 
of the Sunday-school not already in the society. 

Many Sunday-school committees have found 
it profitable to canvass the entire town or 
neighborhood for young people that should be 
in the Sunday-school. 

Where the Sunday-school carries on a home 
department, the Sunday-school committee will 
be of the greatest assistance in superintending 



VARIOUS COMMITTEES 147 

this work or aiding the home-department su- 
perintendent. 

The Sunday-school committee should become 
familiar with the Sunday-school library, and 
should from time to time call attention to its 
best books in the Christian Endeavor meeting. 

The Sunday-school committee may occasion- 
ally distribute among the Endeavorers blank 
cards, asking them to fill out the cards with 
names of young people who they think may be 
persuaded to join the Sunday-school. 

Whenever the Sunday-school holds special 
services, as at Christmas, Easter, and Children's 
Day, the Sunday-school committee should assist 
the superintendent, getting the scholars out to 
practice, decorating the room, and so on. 

Often the teacher is not able to visit his 
scholars so frequently as he would like, and the 
Sunday-school committee should stand ready at 
aU times to perform this service, especially in 
looking up the absent and calling upon the sick. 

So many of our Christian Endeavor topics are 
in line with the Sunday-school lessons that an 
especial effort should be made to gather up in 
the Christian Endeavor meeting the best things 
brought out by the Sunday-school study in the 
morning. 

Possibly the chief work of the Sunday-school 
committee is in supplying unexpected vacancies 
in the teaching force. Many a Sunday-school 



148 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

committee has formed itself into a normal class, 
studying each Sunday the lesson of the follow- 
ing Sunday, that the members may be ready to 
teach it. 

The Junior committee will help the Junior 
superintendent and arrange for occasional joint 
meetings between the societies. Since Juniors 
graduate into the Intermediate society it is well 
to get acquainted beforehand. This committee 
may also arrange for joint socials, and should 
have representatives present at the Junior meet- 
ing once a month at least. 

The good-literature committee will have 
charge of getting subscribers for Christian 
Endeavor and church papers, and will make a 
regular canvass, not only of the society, but of 
the church and the Sunday-school. It will 
gather old periodicals, and send them where 
they can be utilized. Discarded pictures from 
the Sunday-school, picture post-cards, and such 
like, can be used with advantage on the foreign- 
mission field. 

Temperance and good-citizenship committees 
arrange for the temperance meetings, planning 
them carefully, and try to secure the signature 
of the members to a temperance pledge. The 
committee also gets up special talks on citizen- 
ship subjects. 

The music committee has charge of the 
society's music, and should arrange for musical 



VAKIOUS COMMITTEES 149 

numbers at the meetings. A front-seat brigade 
to make the singing go with vim and vigor is a 
good thing to draw the members forward into 
those same seats. Another excellent service is 
to organize a musical club and a choir. One 
society has a number of small choirs, which 
take turns at singing at the evening church 
service. In this case it is not necessary that 
every member be. a first-class singer. Professor 
Wells makes the following suggestions : 

Let the society choose a society hymn express- 
ive of its aims and ideals. 

A Christian Endeavor choir may well be 
organized to practise the unfamiliar songs and 
lead the singing. 

Sometimes a hymn-leader may be appointed 
to assist the prayer-meeting leader and have 
charge of the musical exercises. 

Prayer-hymns may sometimes be sung most 
effectively with bowed heads, or even as the 
Endeavorers kneel at their chairs. 

The work of the music committee should show 
in all the church services, and the Christian 
Endeavor choir may attend these services in a 
body. 

Do not lay upon one Endeavorer all the work 
of the organist, but draft into the service aU 
capable members, assigning them to the work 
month about. 

Some hymns are written in the form of 



150 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

question and answer, like " Watchman, tell us 
of the night." Assign the questions to half the 
room and the answers to the other half. 

Once in a while begin the meeting with a 
song service lasting about fifteen minutes. The 
hymns should be arranged in a logical order 
and connected with comments from the leader. 

The music committee may increase the interest 
in the song service by providing itself with 
anecdotes concerning the famihar hymns. 
These anecdotes should be given just before the 
hymns are sung. 

Few of us have many hymns stored away in 
our memory, and those we know scarcely go 
beyond the first verse. Let the music committee 
set the society to committing a series of memory 
hymns, one for each month of the year. 

To give variety in singing, occasionally have 
the female voices sing the stanzas and the male 
voices the choruses, or divide the company in 
other ways, asking those on the right to sing 
one stanza, for example, and those on the left 
another. 

It is a good plan to select all the hymns for 
one evening from the work of some famous 
hymn- writer, an account of whose life should 
be given at the beginning of the meeting. 
Fanny Crosby, Watts, Miss Havergal, Ray 
Palmer, and Dr. S. F. Smith would furnish 
delightful evenings. 



VARIOUS COMMITTEES 151 

A whatsoever committee is a useful institu- 
tion. One society arranged a cleaning-bee for 
the church, doing the cleaning both inside and 
out. Another carried on a reading-room ; an- 
other did janitor's work ; yet another appointed 
a new set of ushers each week for the church 
service ; and one committee planted a Christian 
Endeavor tree in the church back yard and 
tended it. This committee can have a church 
garden, can have charge of the church lawn, 
and will stand ready to do whatever the presi- 
dent of the society calls upon it for. 

There need be no end of committees. One 
society has a delegation committee whose work 
is to visit (or rather send one of its members to 
visit) other societies, observe how the work is 
done in them, and report back to the home so- 
ciety. This committee also works for large 
delegations to attend conventions or other 
Christian Endeavor meetings. 

A publicity committee can do a little adver- 
tising in the newspapers, and it can do a lot of 
good by sending its members to Junior and 
Young People's meetings just to advertise the 
Intermediate society by telling what it is doing. 
Members from this committee might also profit- 
ably attend the midweek prayer-meeting of the 
church, and tell the people there, on occasion, 
what the Intermediate society is trying to ac- 
complish. 



CHAPTER XIY 

thi:n^gs that may be done 

The wide-awake superintendent will keep a 
note-book and jot down ideas for work that his 
society may do. The following suggestions are 
meant for a beginning. 

The Quiet Hour 
The Quiet Hour is designed to train Endeav- 
orers in private devotion. The Christian ought 
to read his Bible and to pray every day, as the 
pledge points out ; the Quiet Hour simply makes 
this pledge a little more definite by asking the 
young people to give a few minutes to Bible- 
reading and communion with God every day, 
preferably in the morning. The Quiet Hour 
covenant reads : 

"• Trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ for strength, 
I will make it the rule of my life to set apart at 
least fifteen minutes every day, if possible in the 
early morning, for quiet meditation and direct 
communion with God. 

^'Signed 

^'Date " 

The obligation expressed in this covenant 
should constantly be kept before the Interme- 
diates. A praying society must be a successful 
society. Covenant cards may be purchased 
from the United Society of Christian Endeavor, 
Tremont Temple, Boston, Mass. 
152 



THINGS THAT MAY BE DONE 153 

TiTHIlN-G 

After the Quiet Hour comes the Tenth Le- 
gion, composed of those that promise to give a 
tenth of their income to the Lord. Talks on 
stewardship should emphasize this side of the 
Christian's obligations. A society whose mem- 
bers give tithes to the Lord is never in want of 
funds, and the blessing that comes to the indi- 
vidual members is beyond price. 

The Chicago union uses the following card in 
its effort to secure tithers : 



Please check each section which 
expresses year purpose thus 



X 



D 



!• My practice is to give at least 
ONE-TENTH of my income 
for Christian work* 



n 



2* I am now enrolled as a mem- 
ber of the TENTH LEGION- 



n 



D 

Name 



3» I will begin now to give to 
Christian work at least ONE- 
TENTH of my income* 

4* I wish to be enrolled as a mem- 
ber of the TENTH LEGION- 



Address 
Society 



Date 



154 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

Other Pledges 
There may be good reason, at times, to intro- 
duce other pledges. For instance, it may seem 
wise to ask the members to take a pledge to 
carry with them each day a copy of the New 
Testament, at the same time providing a small 
pocket-edition for this purpose. Some societies 
have tried a pledge for the lips, to include not 
only bad language, but biting and nasty words 
of every kind. Here is a pledge of this kind 
actually used by a certain society : " Trusting 
in the Lord Jesus Christ for strength, I promise 
Him that I will not repeat or tell any bad thing 
that I hear of any person, but will try to find all 
the good I can of every one, and tell it." 

FiEST-AiD Committee 
A good plan is to appoint several Interme- 
diates as the superintendent's first-aid commit- 
tee, whose duty it is to do whatever they are 
called upon to do. Sometimes the superintend- 
ent hears of something that should be done, 
but cannot get into touch with the chairman 
of the committee under which this work would 
normally fall. This is a case for his first-aids. 
They are a sort of emergency corps. 

SlJPERIl^TEl^DElSrT'S At HoME 

An occasional social hour at the home of the 
superintendent works wonders. There is no 



THINGS THAT MAY BE DONE 155 

necessity for elaborate preparation and a " feast," 
very slight refreshments being all that is called 
for. A talk or discussion about books or any- 
thing that interests young people, and a few 
games, will make all the programme that is 
needed. 

Special Talks 
The superintendent should also arrange for 
special talks at the regular meetings. In one 
society the pastor gave a brief series of talks 
on the history and development of the church. 
At another time the Intermediates listened to 
a college professor telling of a visit that he paid 
to the George Junior Eepublic. 

Election of Officees 
Some superintendents prefer to appoint the 
officers, and this may work in some societies. 
In others it might make the Intermediates feel 
that they were considered under age and inef- 
ficient. Usually the superintendent can advise 
the nominating committee. A Kansas society 
did something a little different when it divided 
into three sides, called them parties, and let 
them set to work. Here is the plan : 

Three groups of six members each were se- 
lected to constitute political parties, the Keds, 
Whites, and Blues. 

Each side met and made out a slate of names 
for officers, and campaigned for its slate. 



156 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

The election was held in booths erected for 
the purpose, judges and clerks having been ap- 
pointed to take care of the details. It goes 
without saying that the members of the society 
were interested in the outcome. There is some- 
thing in politics that liberates enthusiasm. 

Of course this method must not be used where 
there is a chance of unkind feelings' being 
aroused. 

Intermediate Brotherhood 
A superintendent of a boys' Intermediate so- 
ciety writes that he finds the plan to organize 
the boys under a male leader, and the girls un- 
der a woman, works well in his church. The 
boys' society is called the Intermediate Brother- 
hood of Christian Endeavor. 

Wall Mottoes 
The society should have a standing motto, of 
course, but besides this the members will be 
glad to make mottoes for the walls. These 
mottoes can be frequently changed. 

Clubs 

Walking clubs, tennis clubs, and clubs for 
sports of various kinds are a help, especially 
during the summer months. The little book 
issued by the United Society of Christian En- 
deavor, Tremont Temple, Boston, Mass., " Sue- 



THINGS THAT MAY BE DONE 157 

cessful Boys' Clubs," contains abundant ma- 
terial for this side of work with boys. 

A Peesidejs^t's Bible 
The society may contribute toward a Bible 
which shall be given to the president and used 
by him as long as he is in office. When he 
ceases to be president, he will give the Bible to 
his successor. The names of the presidents, 
and the time they held office, should be printed 
on the fly-leaf of the Bible. 

FLYiis^a Squadeon 
Organize a committee called the flying squad- 
ron, with four or ^ve members, whose duty 
(and delight) it will be to visit, one Sunday a 
month, some other Intermediate society and 
take part in the meeting. If there are no 
Intermediate societies near, let the squadron 
visit a Young People's society and boost Inter- 
mediate work. 

A Ten-Cen^t Investment 
Give each member, out of the funds of the 
society, if necessary, ten cents with which to 
trade for a month or two, the profits and the 
original capital, of course, to go into the 
society's funds. Have a social hour at the end 
of the period, when each member will teU how 
he earned the money he brings. 



158 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

Roll-Call 
A society banished stiffness at the monthly 
roll-call by abolishing it entirely for a month 
or two. Cards were distributed among the 
members, reminding them that the following 
Smiday was consecration-meeting, and recalling 
the requirements of the pledge. The members 
were asked to sign the cards and drop them 
into a box at the meeting. This gave the 
secretary a record of the attendance. There 
was no roll-call, but every one took part in the 
meeting. 

Lafalot Club 
A young man in the Hartford, Conn., union, 
started a " Lafalot Club," which really is a kind 
of social committee. The members pledge 
themselves to laugh a lot, and they have hikes 
together, games, and real good times. 

" Be Brave " Brigade 
The members of this brigade pledge them- 
selves to try to do right at all times. They 
have patriotic exercises, salutation of the flag, 
singing of patriotic songs, and so forth. 

Consecration-Meetings 
Here are some simple ways to vary the con- 
secration-meetings : 



THINGS THAT MAY BE DONE 159 

At a prayer consecration-meeting there is no 
speaking, but each Endeavorer offers prayer. 

Special pains should be taken to obtain from 
absentees not merely brief messages, but help- 
ful and attractive letters. 

At a " next-step " consecration-meeting each 
member agrees to take part in some way more 
difficult for him than usual. 

At a committee consecration-meeting the 
roll of the committees is called. Each com- 
mittee stands and testifies, the chairman lead- 
ing. 

At a "C. E." consecration-meeting each 
Endeavorer brings two texts beginning with 
those initials and embodying his prayer for the 
coming month. 

Have the secretary, instead of calling the roll 
in the usual way, call the letters of the alphabet. 
After each letter all whose names begin with 
that letter will take part. 

It is well occasionally to hold what may be 
called a " definite " consecration-meeting, each 
Endeavorer consecrating himself to one definite 
task for the coming month. 

The consecration-meeting held after election 
of officers and committees should have especial 
reference to that event, and be a consecration 
to special lines of society work. 

Sometimes have the society testify in the 
consecration-meeting without a roll-call, the 



160 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

leader calling upon the different sections of the 
room in turn, and asking the members to speak 
in the order in which they sit. 

A voluntary consecration-meeting is con- 
ducted without a roll-call, the secretary noting 
who takes part. At the close of the meeting 
the roll may be called if necessary, those an- 
swering, "Present" that have already taken 
part. 

It is possible to dispense with the calling of 
the roll if each member has a printed list of the 
entire membership. If a member is absent, the 
secretary calls his name, and the one next in 
order immediately takes part. 

The best arrangement of a society for mis- 
sionary work is a division into bands, one for 
the study of each missionary topic of the year. 
Where this division exists, it may be made the 
basis of a consecration-meeting, each band 
testifying in turn. 



'05 



Reseeyed Seats in Chuech 
The pastor will probably be glad occasionally 
to speak to young people, and at these times a 
number of seats should be reserved for the 
Intermediates, who will take pride in filling 
them. Again, a number of seats for the Sunday- 
evening church service might be reserved for 
the Intermediates to fill by coming themselves 
and bringing their friends. If this is weU 



THINGS THAT MAY BE DONE 161 

worked and boomed, it should increase the 
attendance. 

FiEESiDE Social 
On Sunday afternoons a Boston church holds 
an informal fireside social. The young people 
gather around a big fire in a cozy room, and 
have music, story-telling, discussion of books 
recently read, and so forth. N^o programme is 
prepared for this meeting, but each one does 
what he can. After the social the young 
people adjourn to another room for light refresh- 
ments, and then go to the Christian Endeavor 
meeting. This social time has been a great 
boon to roomers, and is thoroughly enjoyed. 

Chai]^ Peayer 
No better method than chain prayer can be 
found to help young people to take part in the 
meetings. Always have these prayers after the 
topic has been discussed, so that the members 
will have something, suggested by the topic, to 
pray about. Put a timid Intermediate between 
two older members, and get the one to pray 
before him and the other after him. Eigidly 
confine these chain prayers to one sentence. 

Disorder in Meeting 
Try the plan of having the parents of some 
of the Intermediates present at every meeting. 
Do not have too many at once, however. 



162 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

Commission Goveenment 
When the officers fail to do theu* duty, try 
the plan of commission government. Divide 
the work of all officials into four branches; 
assign one commissioner to each branch, and 
make one of the four president. Each com- 
missioner will appoint assistants who will form 
the working committees of the society. 

Prayer Clubs 
A society in California has two clubs or 
prayer circles, one for the boys and one for the 
girls. They meet separately, and this fact 
removes any restraint that any one might feel 
about taking part. The meetings are informal. 
About twenty minutes are spent in Bible drill 
and singing ; then about ten minutes in prayer, 
the lights being turned down so that each one 
may feel free to take part. Sometimes the boys 
tell their experiences in trying to reach and help 
other boys. At the close they all stand with 
arms locked and pray in turn. This plan is 
making a strong society out of one that looked 
like a failure before the clubs were started. 

Serenadi]s-g Party 
A superintendent who believed that the In- 
termediates ought to attend the midweek serv- 
ices of the church arranged, after the last 
prayer-meeting of the month, to have the Inter- 



THINGS THAT MAY BE DONE 163 

mediates go and serenade six or seven shut-ins. 
Only members that had attended three prayer- 
meetings dm-ing the month were allowed in the 
serenading party. Each week a short practice 
was held at the close of the midweek prayer- 
meeting. 

Fkuit foe the Sick 
Societies may carry fruit for the sick and find 
pleasure in preparing for this service. They 
should make pasteboard boxes covered with col- 
ored tissue-paper, and decorated tastefully, in 
which to carry the fruit. 

Alphabetical Socials 
To secure the wherewithal to help the poor 
at Christmas time a society arranged alphabet- 
ical socials, each member being asked to bring 
groceries and clothing beginning with the first 
letter of his surname. 

Bible Questions 
Prepare a list of Bible questions, fifty or sixty 
of them, and thoroughly drill the Intermediates 
in them. If the pastor be willing, the drill may 
then be given at an evening church service. 
Let the superintendent stand at the back of the 
hall and put the questions, so that every one 
present may hear. It will be a wonder if the 
Intermediates' knowledge does not far exceed 
that of church-members present. 



164 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

Special Meetings 
One society tried an Easter meeting at 6:30 
A. M., instead of in the evening, and it proved 
a great success. This society arranged the 
chairs differently at some meetings for the sake 
of variety. Thus they were arranged to form 
the word "WIN" at a missionary meeting. 
At other times they have been made to form 
the Christian Endeavor monogram, or have been 
placed in a circle. 

Inteemediate Geaduation 

The graduates were seated on the platform, 
the Juniors in the choir-loft just behind the 
platform. 

Stretching across the platform, immediately 
behind the graduates, was a large arch made 
of muslin a foot broad and divided into seven 
sections by means of small strips of drab-colored 
paper representing cement. The fourth section 
formed the centre of the arch. 

In the spaces were the following words, cut 
out of thin black paper and pasted on the mus- 
lin : (1) Strive ; (2) Pray ; (3) Eead the Bible ; 
(4) Promise Him ; (5) Lead a Christian Life ; 
(6) Be Present ; (Y) Take Part. 

Both societies, Junior and Intermediate, took 
part in the opening exercises. Then the grad- 
uates repeated the Intermediate pledge. 

All sat down except number four, who had 



THINGS THAT MAY BE DONE 166 

the part, " I promise Him." She said : " As the 
centre and strength of the arch is the keystone, 
so the centre and strength of our pledge is the 
covenant, ' I promise Him.' " She then sang a 
song about the promise, and closed by saying : 
" Take away the keystone, and the arch will 
fall ; take away the pledge, and the society will 
cease to exist. By prayer and reading the 
Bible we are taught to strive." 

Number one gave a verse about striving; 
number two, a recitation on prayer ; number 
three, the song, " Holy Bible, book divine " ; 
number five had something to say on Christian 
living ; and numbers six and seven gave short 
talks on being present and taking part. Each 
graduate remained standing after taking part. 

Then followed the distribution of diplomas 
and an address of welcome by the president of 
the Young People's society. 

The idea was worked out by Miss Pearl Page, 
Junior superintendent of the Lutheran society, 
Shiloh, O. 

Special Topic Caeds 
Get up special topic cards with topics, the 
pledge, the names of members, and the commit- 
tees on which they serve. 

Object-Talks 
Plan to have an object-talk at each meeting. 
The Intermediates will give the talks if the sub- 



166 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

ject is selected for them. This feature is worth 
the attention of the superintendent and the 
prayer-meeting committee. The illustrations 
used at the meetings should be chosen from 
school life or from circles that interest the boys 
and girls. 

Some SuaaESTED Committees 
If there is need for them the following com- 
mittees may help to make the work effectual. 
No society, of course, will have all the commit- 
tees here named. Besides the ordinary commit- 
tees we might have a committee on civics, a 
visitation committee, literary, strangers', enter- 
tainment, programme, notices, religious-work, 
church-attendance, ushers', athletic, vestibule, 
order, ways-and-means, social-service, printing, 
sermon, advertising, and press committees. 

Things to Study 

Yery often the Intermediates may want to 
attack some of the great problems that trouble 
our day. If they do, themes like the following 
form food for study : 

Child labor, women in industry, wealth and 
poverty, labor movements, civic corruption and 
its cure, housing of the poor, public utilities, 
immigration, foreign relations, race problems, 
prison reform, intemperance, divorce, the peace 
movement, pure food, the cigarette, first aid to 



THINGS THAT MAY BE DONE 167 

the wounded, and all nature studies. It is not 
well, however, to press these subjects upon In- 
termediates. They will have to face them soon 
enough. 

Things to Do 

One might have Intermediate Bible classes in 
the Sunday-school ; get the society to visit hos- 
pitals and homes, and sing for the inmates ; 
help in mission services ; invite people to come 
to church by card and otherwise ; form a choir 
and sing at church ; conduct boys' clubs ; have 
athletic sports ; get up lectures ; watch the ac- 
tion of the city council and thus arouse civic 
interest; study playgrounds and streets; have 
debates ; study parliamentary practice ; get up 
a glee club ; report cases of sickness ; have 
membership contests ; organize a telephone corps 
to increase attendance at meetings ; have a mes- 
senger service for the pastor's benefit ; prepare 
for special days, Mothers' Day, Memorial Day, 
Thanksgiving, Christmas, Old Folks' Day ; 
coUect a missionary library ; have the Interme- 
diates work with Juniors and be Big Brothers ; 
have a newcomers' bureau to see that newcom- 
ers are visited and invited to the meeting and 
to church ; leave invitations to church in hotels 
and boarding-houses. 

The first condition for success in an Interme- 
diate society is to have plenty of work for every 



168 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

member. The boys and girls of Intermediate 
age are full of enthusiasm. They want to do 
things worth while. If they are left idle, they 
will gravitate toward the outside of the society ; 
but, if things are doing aU the time, they will 
want to be in the thick of the bustle. The 
superintendent that understands this, and is 
willing to plan for each member, may go in and 
win. 



CHAPTEE XV 
INCEEASING EFFICIENCY 

The Intermediates belong to a new generation 
of Endeavorers. Therefore they need to be 
schooled in the fundamental principles of the 
movement and in its methods. Only careful 
training along these lines can make effective 
workers and efficient societies. 

One of the best helps for this training and 
for keying up societies to their very best is 
found iQ the Standards of Efficiency prepared 
by the United Society. These standards cover 
work that should be done by Live societies, and 
they enable us to measure our efficiency. 

The Standakds of Efficiency 

[The committees or officers named in brackets at the end 
of each section are those responsible directly for the work of 
the section, though of course the general officers, the execu- 
tive committee, and the pastor are back of it all.] 

1. Christian Endeavor Training. The 
society should obtain a supply of the Efficiency 
Tests published by the United Society of Chris- 
tian Endeavor, Tremont Temple, Boston, or 
Association Building, Chicago, one for each 
officer and committee, and several on the general 
169 



170 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

work for all the society. Three adult Christians, 
preferably including the pastor, should serve as 
a committee of examiners. The questions and 
answers should be studied, and all should be 
urged to take the tests. Those that can answer 
correctly seventy-five per cent of the questions 
on all the leaflets (including those for all oificers 
and committees) shall be entitled to the degree of 
" Christian Endeavor Expert." For the use of 
candidates for this honor all the leaflets are 
gathered in a cloth-bound volume, entitled 
" Expert Endeavor," sent by the United Society, 
postpaid, for fifty cents. No one is to hold 
office or serve on a committee unless he or she, 
within a month after election, qualifies by pass- 
ing (75%) an examination on the special work 
of that office or committee. [Executive Com- 
mittee.] 9%. 

2. Executive Committee, To hold a regular 
meeting once a month. Eeports at that meeting, 
from each committee, of the work done during 
the month. One plan for work for the coming 
month to be adopted, after discussion, by each 
committee. The executive committee to appoint, 
or have the society elect, all the committees re- 
quired by these twenty-eight sections, though 
some committees have only one member, and 
some members must serve on more than one 
committee. Every member of the society to be 
given some office or placed on some committee. 



INCREASING EFFICIENCY 171 

[See sections on Christian Endeavor Training, 
Study Courses, and Aiding the Pastor.] 4%. 

3. Prayer-meeting Committee. To meet with 
each leader to help plan the next meeting. (It 
may meet with several leaders at one time — say 
those for a month.) Also to hold a five-minute 
prayer service with the leader just before the 
prayer-meeting. [See sections on Public Prayer, 
Original Testimony, Consecration-Meeting, 
Leaders, Private Devotions, and Honorary 
Members.] 4%. 

4. Lookout Committee. Add to the society 
each year at least one-fourth as many members 
as there are at the beginning of the year. To 
keep a record of the prayer-meeting attendance 
and participation of each member. [See sections 
on Evangelism, Honorary Members, Associate 
Members, and Church Services.] 4%. 

5. Missionary Committee. To conduct the 
missionary meetings. To organize a class for 
the study of one text-book on home or foreign 
missions during the year. To do some kind of 
practical missionary work in your own commu- 
nity, as, for instance, in a city mission, a prison, 
an almshouse, or for immigrants. [See also the 
section on Giving.] 4%. 

6. Information Commiittee. To use two or 
three minutes at the beginning of each prayer- 
meeting in giving some interesting Christian 
Endeavor news item or method of work. 2 %. 



1Y2 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

7. Flower Committee. To decorate the 
church and prayer-meeting room, take flowers 
to the sick, and use them to celebrate the birth- 
days of the pastor and others who should be 
honored, and to recognize specially good work 
in the Christian Endeavor society and the Sun- 
day-school. 2%. 

8. Good-Literature Goinmittee. To get sub- 
scribers for denominational . and Christian 
Endeavor papers, and gather the used papers 
and magazines of the congregation, placing them 
where they will do good. 2%. 

9. Sunday-school Committee. To organize a 
Christian Endeavor Bible class for training 
teachers and supplying substitute teachers, if 
the school officers approve. To work for 
enlarging the school and bettering its attend- 
ance. 2%. 

10. Tem^eram^ce or Citizenship Committee, 
To conduct the three Christian Endeavor tem- 
perance meetings of the year. To secure the 
signatures of at least three-fourths of the mem- 
bers to a temperance pledge. 2 % . 

11. Junior Committee. To aid the Junior 
superintendent in every way practicable, and 
carry on the Junior society if there is no Junior 
superintendent. 2%. 

12. Public Prayer. A list to be made of the 
members who will offer a brief prayer when 
called upon, or can be counted upon to join in 



INCREASING EFFICIENCY 1Y3 

sentence prayers. This list to be extended till 
it includes at least three- fourths of the active 
members. [Prayer-meeting committee.] 6%. 

13. Original Testimony. A list to be made 
of those that will agree to add, as a rule, some- 
thing of their own, if only a sentence, to whatever 
they may read in the meeting ; and this list to 
be enlarged till it contains three-fourths of the 
active members of the society. [Prayer-meeting 
committee.] 5%. 

14. Consecration-Meeting. Three-fourths of 
the active members responding to the roll-call, 
in person or by message. A variety of methods 
of calling the roll to be used. One clause of 
the pledge to be emphasized by a brief talk at 
each consecration-meeting. [Prayer-meeting 
committee.] 4%. 

15. Leaders. The society to be developed 
till at least three-fourths of the active members 
will lead the prayer-meetings. An occasional 
dual leadership or committee leadership or 
leaderless meeting. [Prayer-meeting com- 
mittee.] 3%. 

16. Singing. A society chorus choir to be 
formed, membership urged upon all. At least 
six meetings of the choir during the year for 
gaining familiarity with the hymn-book and 
practising special music. One special piece, as 
a rule — chorus, quartette, duet, solo, or instru- 
mental — ^in every prayer-meeting. The choir 



174 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

to be helpful outside the society. [Music com- 
mittee.] 3%. 

17. Society Finances. The pledge-envelope 
system. A finance committee, with the treasurer 
for chairman, thoroughly canvassing the society. 
A society budget at the beginning of the year. 
Frequent reports of the condition of the treasury. 
3%. 

18. Giving. One-half of the active members 
of the society to become members of the Tenth 
Legion. Annual gifts to be made to the mission 
boards of your denomination. Proper payments 
to be made to the Christian Endeavor union of 
which your society is a member. [Missionary 
committee.] 4%. 

19. Business Meetings. To be held once a 
month, preferably in connection with a social. 
A written report to be made by each committee ; 
also by the treasurer, secretary, corresponding 
secretary, and Junior and Intermediate super- 
intendents. [President.] 3%. 

20. Socials. The society to hold at least six 
socials a year. At least one-fourth of the members 
to bring outsiders to the socials, to interest them 
in the society. At least part of each evening 
to be spent in some game or exercise that is 
instructive as well as entertaining. The socials 
to be closed with gospel songs and prayer. 
[Social committee.] 3%. 

21. Evangelism. A personal workers' band 



INCEEASING EFFICIENCY 175 

to be formed, whose members will meet at least 
once a fortnight, except during vacation, for 
training, consultation, and prayer, and to re- 
port on the effort each has made to bring at 
least one person to Christ and into mem- 
bership in His church. [Lookout commit- 
tee.] 4:%. 

22. Stud]/ Course. In addition to the mission- 
study class, one class a year to be formed in 
evangelistic methods, or church history, or 
Christian evidences, or denominational principles 
and polity, or civics, or some other branch of 
Christian culture. [Executive committee.] 3 % . 

23. Private Devotions. Three-fourths of the 
active members of the society to become Com- 
rades of the Quiet Hour. [Prayer-meeting 
committee.] 5%. 

24. honorary Members. The number to be 
increased until the list is at least one-half as 
long as the list of active members. The two 
honorary members' meetings to be observed 
each year. An annual social to be held for 
the honorary members. [Lookout, prayer- 
meeting, and social committees.] 2%. 

25. Associate Members. The list to be en 
larged until it is at least half as large as the 
list of active members. The associates to be 
divided among the committees as committee 
assistants. Each associate to be approached by 
the lookout committee, at least once a year, with 



176 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

reference to his becoming an active member. 
[Lookout committee. ] 3 % . 

26. Church Services. A record to be kept of 
Christian Endeavor attendance on the Sunday 
services of the church and its midweek prayer- 
meeting, and reported at each monthly business 
meeting. The Christian Endeavor choir to sit 
together and aid the singing at these services, 
when desired by the pastor. One-f om^th of the 
active members of the society to be specially 
assigned, if the pastor approves, to be prepared 
to take part in each midweek prayer-meeting^ 
the entire society thus serving once a month, 
with recognition of the group that is most faithful 
during the year. [Lookout committee.] 6%. 

27. Aiding the Pastor. Seek to obtain his 
presence at the executive-committee meetings. 
Ask often what he would like to have the society 
do, and then do it. Appoint a special pastor's 
aid committee. [Executive committee.] 3%. 

28. The Union. One-third of the society to 
be present at each public meeting of the Chris- 
tian Endeavor union. Proper payments to be 
made for the support of the union. [President 
and treasurer.] 4%. 

How TO Take Your Eating 
The executive committee should go over the 
list above, item by item, and ask whether the 
work outlined is being done by the society. To 



INCREASING EFFICIENCY 177 

each section is assigned a per-cent rating, the 
ratings given the twenty-eight standards mak- 
ing 100 per cent. 

Most of the sections are divided into several 
particulars. For instance, the section dealing 
with the consecration-meeting (No. 14) counts 
four per cent, and contains three particulars: 
the responses, the variety of methods, and the 
talks on the pledge. If your society is already 
doing the second, but has not attained to the 
desired percentage of responses, and is not hav- 
ing the pledge talks, then your present rating 
for the section is one and a third per cent, and 
you will work to raise it to four per cent by 
adding the other two accomplishments. Deal 
in this way with each section, estimating the 
part of each that the society is already carrying 
out, and setting down the proper per cents. 
Add these per cents together, and this wiU show 
you the present standing of your society. 

The United Society has also prepared an Ef- 
ficiency Chart, embodying these standards, 
which not only makes the work of rating a 
society easy, but by means of a thermometer 
keeps the progress of the society in Efficiency 
constantly before the members. The price of 
the chart is one dollar. 

How TO Climb 
These standards should be an inspiration, not 



178 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

a task. They should suggest things that may 
be done, or that may be done better. The so- 
ciety should not attempt to do everything at 
once, but take up item after item, selecting the 
easiest matters first and going on from them to 
the more difficult. 

It is also weU to begin with the fundamental 
things. For instance, the matters mentioned in 
the section relating to the executive committee 
are fundamental. Hence the society should at- 
tack them first, do them, and keep on doing 
them. Generally speaking, the importance of 
a section may be seen from the percentage given 
to it. The higher the percentage, the more im- 
portant, in our judgment, is the work indicated. 

No society is too small to take up this scheme, 
for no society is too small to be made better ; and 
this is the sole aim of the Efficiency Standards. 

Endeavorers that are new to the work are 
constantly asking. What is the work of the 
president ? What is the work of the prayer- 
meeting committee? What are the duties of 
the vice-president ? and so on throughout the 
entire list of officers and committees. 

The best and most concise answer to these 
questions and to most others dealing with Chris- 
tian Endeavor work, is given in Professor 
Wells's recent series of Efficiency leaflets dealing 
with every phase of Christian Endeavor. There 
are three general leaflets : one on Christian En- 



INCREASING EFFICIENCY 179 

deavor principles and history, one on the pledge, 
and one on the prayer-meeting. One of each 
should be given to every member of the society. 
Then follow leaflets for each of the society 
officers, president, vice-president, secretary, 
treasurer, pianist, and so forth ; no officer is for- 
gotten. One of these should be given to each 
of the Endeavorers filling the offices. Each 
leaflet explains the duties of one office, and sug- 
gests practical lines of work. Then come leaf- 
lets on committee work, one leaflet for each 
committee. These are intended for the mem- 
bers of the various committees. The society 
that secures these leaflets and studies them can- 
not fail to increase the interest and the efficiency 
of the members. Many members will want the 
entire set of leaflets in book form. To meet 
this need, they have been bound in a neat little 
volume entitled " Expert Endeavor," price fifty 
cents, one of the best compendiums of Christian 
Endeavor principles and work ever published. 

The fact that new members are constantly com- 
ing into the society makes it imperative that we 
steadily and persistently educate them in Chris- 
tian Endeavor principles and methods. In the 
entire three decades of Christian Endeavor it has 
never been so easy to do this as it is to-day. " Ex- 
pert Endeavor," or the Efficiency leaflets, which 
may be procured from the United Society, Tre- 
mont Temple, Boston, Mass., makes the work of 



180 THE INTERMEDIATE MANUAL 

an Intermediate superintendent a joy, and sup- 
plies the ideas which Intermediates may develop 
in their efforts to advance the kingdom of the 
Master. 



MAR 14 1913 



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